The Dragon Queen
by VampireQueenAkasha
Summary: - AU. - She struggled to contain the beast that lived within her, but one day, it just came out and it changed their lives forever. - Crossover guest(s) included. Now a Jelsa fic.
1. One

**The Dragon Queen**

**Disclaimer: **From my constant scrolling in Tumblr, I came across an idea of making Frozen into an AU where Elsa is a dragon. Now granted, this idea came from a post I had seen from a blogger named _yamino_. Now it just sort of took root in my brain and stuck there. So here you go guys. Enjoy the ride.

_"We stop looking for monsters under the bed when we realize they are inside us."_

- Unknown Quote

_"True love is eternal, infinite, and always like itself. It is equal and pure, without violent demonstrations: it is seen with white hairs and is always young in the heart."_

- Honore de Balzac

**By: VampireQueenAkasha**

~O~

**One**

The Northern Lights had caught her attention.

Anna couldn't help getting out of bed and crossing the room to her older sister Elsa's side, eagerly climbing into her bed. Elsa mumbled a little in her sleep, shifting to one side while Anna poked her cheek with one finger. The action made Elsa wrinkle her cheeks a bit and murmur with mild annoyance.

"Elsa! Wake up!" Anna pressed, shaking her sister lightly. "Come on!"

Elsa didn't stir, so Anna sat on her and bounced a little.

"Wake up!" she whispered, eagerly.

Elsa grumbled and rolled, knocking her sister off of her. "Go back to sleep, Anna."

"I can't go back to sleep!" Anna sighed, quite over-dramatically. "The sky's awake, so I'm awake. So we have to play."

Elsa unceremoniously pushed her sister from her bed. "Play by yourself."

Anna fell forward with a yelp and grabbed something, which yanked Elsa from the bed as well. Both sisters were laying on the floor and Elsa gave her sister a tired, somewhat annoyed look.

Beneath her, a small bright blue tail swished back and forth where Anna had grabbed her. It had been only not too long ago where Anna had learned of her older sister's ability to take the shape of something else entirely. Her parents had stories of what they were called and Anna was so excited that her sister was one.

A dragon.

The scales that had formed were always somewhat colder than the rest of Elsa's skin and the tip of the tail had tiny little spikes growing. Anna remembered asking if it hurt and Elsa never complained about it.

"Anna, let's just go back to bed." Elsa told her, the tail disappearing back into her body.

Anna smiled brightly. "Wanna go outside and fly?" she asked.

Elsa had started to climb back into bed, but her sister's words stopped her. She looked back at her with a smile now.

The girls put on a pair of slippers and crept out into the courtyard, dodging the guards that walked by on their occasional night watch duties. Anna led her sister into the garden and smiled eagerly, dancing where she stood.

"Change!" she said, in a secretive whisper.

Elsa smiled. "Okay. Hold on."

She closed her eyes and focused, the look too comical on the young, eight-year old's face. Anna watched as her sister's face took on the serpentine appearance of an icy-blue dragon. Her tiny fingers became sharp claws and a small pair of wings grew beneath her arms. Instead of the human shape, she now resembled a small, miniature dragon similar to the one's in her story books. Though Elsa was slightly chubby, the onset of youth reflected in her small, scaly shape.

"Does it hurt when you change?" Anna asked.

"No." Elsa said - her voice remained the same, even in this form, "Want to fly?"

Anna clapped happily. "Yeah!"

Elsa took Anna underneath her arms with her lower claws and flapped her tiny wings. Lifting her sister was a little difficult, especially with the use of her legs, but Elsa was always so taken when Anna begged, so it was difficult to refuse. She flew into the sky, toward the fjords and Anna giggled happily as she kicked the treetops.

"Lower!" she cried.

"Anna, wait a minute!" Elsa protested, wincing. Her wings were already starting to feel heavier than she wanted.

Suddenly, Anna disappeared in the trees. Elsa let out a frightened cry and looked around frantically for her fallen sister.

"Anna?" she cried. "Anna! Anna, no!"

In her panic, Elsa felt pain shoot down her back. She felt the pressure of the change and didn't see a path of spikes shooting up from her spine. She began to sputter ice from her mouth and frantically attempted to ignore it in a desperate effort to find her sister. She fluttered about, diving through the trees and calling for Anna.

"Elsa?"

She heard the terrified cry of her sister and dove toward it, into the forest where she could see Anna standing not too far away from two snarling wolves. She dove down and stood protectively in front of her sister, struggling to make herself look as intimidating as possible. Truthfully, wolves frightened her, but she was far too concerned for her sister right now. Ice began to sputter from her mouth in her panic and Anna stood up, advancing on the wolves with all the foolish courage she was known to possess. Though Elsa's small talons were fully extended and ready to swipe at the wolves.

"I'm not scared of you, stupid wolves!" Anna yelled.

Elsa swiped at the face of a wolf, sending the creature tumbling backwards. It retreated with a whimper. When the other attacked, Elsa swiped at that one too and it stumbled away with a whine of fright. The sound of movement behind her made her swing her claws, only to realize that she swiped at Anna's arm.

Anna yelped out and Elsa watched in horror as her sister went down. In the heat of her battle with the wolves, the eight year old had accidentally hurt her little sister.

She HURT her sister.

"Anna!" she cried.

Anna fell backwards, holding her arm. A slash had formed where Elsa had scratched her and it was red and swollen. It wasn't until her eyes closed that Elsa frantically tried to revive her. She was ice cold and she had no idea what to do. Terrified and softly crying, she picked up her sister and flew back to the castle.

"Mama!" she cried. "Papa!"

O

The King and Queen were distraught with Anna's condition.

When Elsa returned, she had shifted back to human form and explained what had happened. Anna was shivering and ice cold, and she wasn't waking up. Elsa watched as they fussed over her sister and she felt worse than she ever had in her young life. She hadn't meant to hurt Anna. She only hoped her parents knew that.

"What do we do?" the Queen asked her husband.

He seemed determined, searching through many books and maps. "I know where we must go."

"Where?" Elsa asked.

The King said nothing as he called for the Royal Handler to fetch his horse. They moved quick and it was uncomfortable riding on a single horse together through the fjords. Elsa watched her father's frightened, determined face before looking down at Anna with worry. She pet her head with one hand, trying to offer comfort.

"Anna, I'm so sorry..." she whispered, to her sister.

They stopped into a deep valley and the King helped his wife and daughters down from the horse. Elsa was still frightened. She was sure that she was in trouble for what had happened.

"Please, help. My daughter!" the King begged, into the darkness of the valley.

Elsa looked around, confused. Who was her father calling?

She glanced to the left, spotting a young face observing them from above the valley. She thought of saying something, but the sound of rocks tumbling toward them diverted her attention to the present situation. Rocks were rolling toward them and the King protectively held his family close. But the rocks stopped at their feet and unfolded, revealing the bright faces of trolls. They parted, allowing an older troll to approach them family.

"Grand Pabbie..." the trolls whispered to him.

The elder troll bowed respectfully. "Your Majesty."

He turned to Elsa and the young girl clutched her father tightly in fear. Grand Pabbie beckoned for Elsa to come close and she looked at her father for reassurance. He nodded his head and Grand Pabbie took her hand. He studied her for a long moment and Elsa was nervous. She wasn't sure she liked this.

"Born with the powers or cursed?" Grand Pabbie asked, looking up at the King.

"Born. And they're getting stronger."

Grand Pabbie motioned for the Queen to bring Anna to him. She knelt down and held out her unconscious daughter to him. He examined her wound with a thoughtful grimace.

"Dragon's venom..." he deduced. "You are lucky it is so weak at her age. It is not so easily cured from a fully-matured dragon."

Elsa looked at him worriedly. "Where does it come from?"

Grand Pabbie began to perform a magical spell on her sister, but addressed her as he did. "There is much magic in the world, Elsa." he told her. "Many go through life never knowing what they are truly capable of. I have seen many who can take the form of what they truly are inside."

Elsa stared at her hands and bit her lip. She wanted to cry.

"The child will be okay." Grand Pabbie told the King, referring to Anna. "The head can be persuaded. I recommend we remove all knowledge of Elsa's transformations, even memories of it to be safe..."

The King nodded his head. "Do what you must."

Elsa watched as the troll removed a glowing orb from her sister's head. "So...she won't remember that I'm a dragon?"

"It's for the best." the King told her.

Grand Pabbie took her aside and let out a sigh. "Listen to me, Elsa," he said, gently, "The ability to change shape... that part of you will grow stronger." He conjured up an image of the Northern Lights, showing a silhouette of an adult Elsa, shifting into dragon form. It bellowed loudly with a mighty roar. "The form you take will be beautiful, a sight most will tremble to behold. But there will be danger to this as well."

Elsa watched as human-shaped silhouettes appeared, wielding spears that charged for the dragon and extinguished it. Elsa let out a frightened cry and hid inside her father's arm.

"We won't let that happen!" the King promised. "We can teach her to control her power. Until she's ready, we'll lock the castle gates, reduce the staff...whatever it takes."

Grand Pabbie closed his eyes with a sigh.

He didn't seem so certain.

O

Elsa watched as the servants moved her furniture into her new room. She was silent, watching her father's grim, pained features as he observed this.

"Papa?" she said, quietly.

"Yes, Elsa."

"Am I in trouble?"

The King looked startled by this question and bent down to her. "Elsa, no." he promised her. "You are NOT in trouble. We will get through this together, I promise. No matter what, you are still my daughter."

Elsa tensed when the King moved to embrace her and shied away from it.

Once the furniture was moved into its proper place, Anna wanted to find her sister, but when she noticed Elsa disappearing into her new room, she could only stand there with confusion and sadness. Why was her sister being sent to another room, anyway? Was she in trouble?

Inside her room, Elsa wandered to her bed before finally starting to cry.

Snow began falling the next day.

Anna excitedly raced to her sister's door and knocked on it.

"Elsa? Come outside and play!" she insisted. "It's snowing!"

No reply.

"Elsa! Come on! Let's build a snowman!"

Still, no answer. Anna frowned and bent down, peering through the door. She couldn't see any movement inside, but still called for her sister anyway.

"Go away, Anna."

Elsa's voice was terse enough to break her sister's heart. Anna sighed sadly and nodded. "Okay...bye."

It was quiet inside Elsa's bedroom as she sat on the floor behind her bed. She blew a gust of ice from her lips and formed a pillar of it in front of her. Elsa looked down at her hands as they became claws and began to cut into the ice, forming her sister's face in front of her.

"Would you like to make a snowman, Elsa?" the young girl said in her sister's high voice.

Elsa smiled tearfully, slowly starting to cry. "Yes, Anna. I would." she whispered, her small voice breaking. "I would really love to make a snowman with you."

Finally, she fell to her floor, burying her face in her hands before sobbing. Her small hands remained as claws and spikes grew down the length of her back...

O

_Four years later_

What a way to spend her birthday.

Elsa was sitting alone in her room with a cake in front of her. Both of her parents watched the twelve-year old sitting in front of them.

"Elsa, are you not hungry?" the King questioned.

Elsa's hands were wrapped in bandages and she scratched them.

"It's getting stronger, papa." she mumbled, tears prickling the corners of her eyes. "I can't hide it anymore."

"You can, Elsa." the King tried to be encouraging.

Elsa whimpered with despair. "I'm a monster, aren't I?"

"No!" the Queen let out a soft cry.

She moved to her side to embrace her, but Elsa retreated, holding herself. "No, don't touch me!" she pleaded, "Please! I don't want to hurt you."

She stood up and walked to a corner of the room where old scales had fallen off of her. She had no idea that her dragon form had required to shed like a normal serpent, but it had and it had hurt so bad. Her mother had helped in removing the old scales, but the pain was so unbearable that Elsa had cried the entire time. They had given her a strap of leather to bite down on during the process and it was laying in a useless heap nearby, riddled with marks from her fangs. The Queen had sung her a lullaby that Elsa remembered when she was an infant afterwards.

It never helped.

The claws were growing in faster too. She had to cut into her floor just to ease the pain and chew on wooden posts to stop her fangs from hurting so much. Elsa could only see herself as some sort of pet they had to keep locked away from the world and it only hurt more.

"Elsa, you can do this." the King encouraged, standing.

Elsa looked back at him and the blue of her eyes bled into a cold, monstrous yellow. "No, I can't."


	2. Two

~O~

**Two**

As the years went by, Anna went on without acknowledging her sister anymore.

Sure, she wanted to. There was no denying that. But Elsa's isolation just seemed to be a part of her anymore and Anna had begun to understand that. She didn't want to accept it, but that was her sister and she still missed her deeply. It was as if she didn't even know who she was. It was difficult in those passing years for her, but even more so for Elsa than she had realized.

The dragon within her clawed at her insides, roaring to be free, but Elsa couldn't let that happen. The more she resisted it, the more it hurt.

"Just don't feel..." she whispered, pacing around her room frantically.

It wasn't helping as her feet shifted into talons and clacked across the wood. Elsa tried desperately to ignore it, but her tail had appeared behind her, knocking things over.

Her mother and father had departed for two weeks and already, Elsa was feeling as though she could not hold the beast in anymore.

"Please, don't feel." she moaned desperately to herself.

"Princess?"

Kali's voice immediately halted her change and the dragon qualities vanished.

"Yes?" Elsa's voice was far more hoarse than she wanted.

"I have...terrible news."

Elsa's eyes widened. She could hear the dragon within groaning.

Much later, Anna walked down the hallways in her mourning clothes, sniffling a little and rubbing her eyes. She stopped at Elsa's room and started to knock, but gave up on the idea and slid onto the floor with her back against the door. She couldn't hear anything inside the room.

"Elsa?" she called, rather quietly.

No answer.

Anna sighed and looked up. A sad smile touched her lips.

"Do you remember when we were kids and we'd wake up in the middle of the night to play around the castle?" she asked, chuckling. "So many memories, huh?" No answer and Anna's features fell. "Elsa, we're all we have left. We have to stay strong. I don't know if I can."

In Elsa's room, both of her arms had almost completely changed and her face was frozen in between human and dragon. She held her head in her hands, softly sobbing.

_Let me out... _the dragon within hissed.

She wanted that more than anything. To just...let it all go and free her mind from this torment.

But she couldn't.

Never could she be free.

O

_Three years later_

Elsa was tended to by servants, who mended her Coronation Dress while she stood perfectly still for the process.

"Your Majesty?"

Elsa looked toward Kali, who stood by the door. He had aged drastically since the death of her parents. She merely gave him an acknowledging look when he addressed her.

"Should I wake the Princess?" he asked.

Elsa nodded her head silently.

Kali departed and left her alone with the servants. Elsa let out a deep inhale and closed her eyes.

She could feel the dragon scratching away in her skull.

After she was groomed, properly dressed for the occasion, Elsa walked to the library and stared at the various guests arriving through the castle gates. She inhaled sharply and closed her eyes, keeping the dragon in check. Lately, it had been a little easier, but her nerves riled the beast that slumbered within and it wanted to get out. She squeezed her eyes shut with a small whimper and moved to her father's painting of his coronation day. She felt herself smiling and the dragon seemed to calm a little at the sight of him.

"It's just for today..." she assured herself. "Then the gates will close and everything will be okay again."

She picked up a candlestick and ornament in place of an orb and scepter, mimicking the painting. It would be over and done with before she knew it. She just had to keep herself calm and steady. That was all, right? She could do it just for one day and it would be done.

But when she looked down, her hands had become dragon claws.

Elsa let out a gasp and slammed the items back down.

"Gloves..." she told herself, as her hands reverted back to human shape. "I need gloves."

When she passed a mirror, her dragon form was reflected back. Elsa could feel the change and looked into the mirror.

The dragon stared back at her, scales of the brightest blue that shimmered like diamonds. Spines along the dragon's neck and cheeks. Horns jutted straight back from its skull, the eyes flashed yellow and the mouth was filled with sharp, deadly teeth. When she reached out and touched her own cheek, the dragon in the mirror did the same thing.

Elsa squeezed her eyes shut and concentrated with all her strength. When she opened her eyes, the dragon in the mirror was gone.

"Please..." she whispered. "Stay calm. Just for today."

Elsa left the library and noticed Anna darting down the hallways, in the highest possible spirits. It actually made her smile warmly at the sight and the pain in her head from the dragon scratching away seemed to fade away. Well, at least SOMEONE was in high spirits today. She was happy that her sister was so excited and it seemed for her too. Anna was such a spirit and Elsa was only sad that she had to hide away all these years.

The smile disappeared from her face and she let out a sigh.

It was going to be quite a long day.

O

The church was filled with quite a bit of people.

Elsa observed them nervously and could see Anna from the corner of her eye waving at someone in the crowd. She didn't notice who, but when it came time for her to retrieve the orb and scepter from the bishop, he cleared his throat gently and indicated her gloves.

"Your Majesty," he whispered, "Your gloves."

Oh yes. Elsa had retrieved them moments before arriving. She looked up at the bishop and then to the expectant crowds before removing them. So far so good. No dragon claws. Her hands shook as she retrieved the orb and scepter before turning to the watching audience. While the bishop began speaking formally in Old Norse, she could slowly feel her talons beginning to form.

_Stay calm...Don't feel_, she chanted over and over in her head.

The dragon was snarling in her head.

"...Queen Elsa of Arendelle."

The crowd repeated the bishop's words and Elsa smiled, relieved before she set the orb and scepter back onto the cushion. She quickly fitted her gloves back onto her hands.

_Finally. _

O

Elsa could hear the music in the Ballroom as she made her way toward it. She actually felt...quite well now.

Everything seemed so colorful as she entered, upon Kali's announcement and people seemed happy to see her. It felt quite calming and she was smiling as she watched her guests and dignitaries enjoy themselves. She stood underneath a formal awning and waved at the guests who clapped upon her arrival.

"...Princess Anna of Arendelle."

Elsa glanced sidelong as Anna rushed into the hall, waving awkwardly at the guests. Kai ushered her closer to Elsa and Anna seemed uneasy about it.

"Here? Are you sure I should - " Anna asked him. "Uhm, okay."

The crowds applaused again and when it gradually died down, Anna and Elsa occasionally snuck awkward glances at each other. Anna rubbed the back of her head with a small sound and Elsa looked over at her. She smiled and decided to make the first move for her.

"...Hi." she said.

Anna looked surprised to see her speaking to her. "Hi me?" she asked. "Oh. Uh. Yes. Hi."

They were quiet again.

"You look beautiful." Elsa told her.

Anna smiled with mild embarrassment. "Thank you." she said. "And you look beautiful-er."

She quickly corrected herself and tried to make it sound less strange than it probably did. Elsa found herself laughing a little and nodded.

"Thank you."

They stared out into the party, watching the guests laugh, dance and enjoy themselves. Elsa smiled and felt herself feeling quite content. It was strange how talking with her sister quieted the beast within her. She had always thought being anywhere near Anna would make her nervous enough to the point that it would just...come out in fear of harming her.

"So, this is what a party looks like." Elsa murmured.

"It's warmer than I thought." Anna added.

"It must be all the people."

They were quiet again.

Elsa suddenly smiled brightly. "And what is that amazing smell?"

They both closed their eyes and inhaled deeply, savoring the sweet, delicious smell in the air.

"Chocolate!" they said together.

The two young women laughed and for the first time in years, Elsa felt quite happy to be with her sister again. Even something small as sharing a laugh helped her feel better than she ever had in years. It was definitely a nice feeling that she wished could last for a long time.

"Elsa, I - " Anna began.

Kai interrupted them before she could talk.

"Your Majesty. The Duke of Weaseltown."

He addressed a small, scrawny older man wearing heels to make himself appear taller than he was. He scowled at Kai and quickly corrected him.

"Weselton!" he snapped. Then, he smiled at Elsa. "The Duke of Weselton."

The dragon twisted a little inside Elsa for some reason and she tightened her lips to calm it.

"Your Majesty," the Duke bowed with respect. "as your closest partner in trade, it seems only fitting that I offer you your first dance as queen."

Then, he did a funny little dance with his feet; a high kick and a rather dramatic, deep bow. When he held out his hand, dipped his head quite low, his toupee fell forward. Anna couldn't help the giggle that escaped her lips and Elsa glanced at her sister, stifling one as well.

"Thank you...only I don't dance." she told him.

The Duke arched a brow, somewhat offended by the refusal.

"Oh...?"

"But my sister does." Elsa immediately corrected the error by gesturing to her suddenly shocked sibling.

The Duke slipped an arm around hers and grinned. "Lucky you..."

"Oh, I don't think - " Anna started to protest, but she was yanked into the crowd.

Once they were on the dance floor, the Duke made an effort to dance ridiculously around Anna and she tried to be polite as possible, making the best out of the situation she was in. He simply continued stomping on her feet while he danced around her like a seizure victim.

"Speaking of, so great to have the gates open," he told her. "Why did they shut them in the first place?" He leaned in close to her face, squinting suspiciously. "Do you know the reason? Hmm?"

Anna stared back, mildly uncomfortable.

"Uh...no?"

"Oh, all right," the Duke said, dipping Anna. "Hang on. They don't call me the little dipper for nothing."

Elsa peeked through the crowd and watched the scene, barely able to contain her laughter. Anna smirked at her with an upside-down look.

"By the way, where ever did a lovely lady like you get that scar?"

Anna was yanked up and glanced down at her arm. The long, trailing mark that went up her upper arm was slightly red. Truthfully, she hadn't remembered having it, but her parents mentioned that it was a birthmark that she'd always had. So she simply shrugged it off.

"It's a birthmark." she told him.

"Really? Looks like a scar to me."

"Nope. Birthmark."

Moments after their dance, Anna limped back to Elsa, rubbing her sore feet. The Duke called after her, promising another round should she be ready. Elsa merely smiled at her sister.

"Well, he was sprightly." she remarked.

Anna nodded, wincing. "Especially for a man in heels."

"Are you okay?" Elsa asked, more gentle this time.

Anna seemed to really enjoy Elsa's attention on her. "I've never been better," she told her, grinning happily. "This is so nice. I wish it could be like this all the time."

God, how Elsa wished that could be so.

"Me too..." she said.

Then, she could hear a faint hiss of the dragon and caught herself. Her smile disappeared, but the mild longing in her voice remained.

"But it can't."

Anna shook her head. "Why not?" she asked, reaching for her. "If we - "

Elsa jerked from her when Anna reached out, turning her back and raising her hands.

"It just can't."

She stood with her back to her sister and took a deep, shaking inhale to calm her nerves. Anna stood there, hurt in her voice.

"Excuse me for a minute..." she said.

She walked away and Elsa watched her go with a pained look.

The dragon twisted tighter inside of her at the sight of her departing sister.

_I'm sorry._


	3. Three

~O~

**Three**

The dragon had twisted so much inside, her, Elsa had to rush from the party to vomit into a bucket. It was not the most elegant of situations for the Queen of Arendelle to be in - face buried in a smelly bucket with her own vomit. It was downright pathetic and just sad.

That had hurt her more than she wanted.

She was still hurting her sister.

When she straightened her hair, washed her face and stared at herself in the mirror, her eyes were glowing yellow now instead of the blue she always had at birth. A sound of despair escaped her lips and she leaned against the wall, covering her face with one hand.

"Your Majesty?" Kali knocked on the door with concern. "Are you all right?"

Elsa cleared her throat and sounded as strong as she could. "I am, Kali. Thank you."

"The Duke of Spain is eager to discuss trade relations," Kali told her, through the door. "What should I tell him?"

Elsa opened the door and smiled up at Kali, though her face was still rather pale. "Tell him I'll meet with him right now."

Kali nodded his head. 'Very well, your Majesty."

Elsa took a collected inhale before returning to the party. Once she started speaking with the representatives, things seemed to calm a little inside of her. She occasionally looked around for her sister, but assumed that Anna was just enjoying the festivities and merely left it at that. After all, she should have as much fun as she wanted before the gates closed again.

The familiar sound of her sister's voice made her turn partially to see her pushing her way through the crowds. She was also accompanied by a rather well-dressed, red-headed man.

"Elsa!" she called.

Anna remembered her place and gave an awkward curtsy. "I mean...Queen..." she corrected. "Me again. Um." She gestured to the man at her side. "May I present Prince Hans of the Southern Isles."

Hans smiled and bowed to Elsa. "Your Majesty."

Elsa gave him a polite, but reserved tilt of her head.

The dragon hissed softly and Elsa blinked rapidly in an effort to seem calm.

Anna and Hans were talking at once, seemingly excited about something before finishing up with "marriage". They wanted to be married and wanted Elsa's blessing.

Elsa's eyes widened in disbelief.

"Marriage?" she said, surprised.

Anna grinned excitedly. "Yes!"

Elsa shook her head, as if she hadn't heard correctly. She stared at Anna strangely. "I'm sorry, I'm afraid I'm a little confused."

Anna began to talk quickly. "Well, we haven't worked out all the details ourselves," she explained, rather hurriedly. "We'll need a few days to plan the ceremony. Of course we'll have soup, roast, and ice cream and then - " She suddenly let out an excited sound and looked up at Hans. "Wait. Would we live here?"

Elsa couldn't believe what she was hearing. This was happening entirely too fast!

"Here?" she exclaimed.

Hans grinned down at Anna. "Absolutely!"

Elsa started to protest. "Anna - "

But her sister - bless her even still - was entirely too thrilled with the idea of marriage and clearly not using any form of common sense.

"Oh, we can invite all twelve of your brothers to stay with us - " she continued on.

"What?" Elsa waved two hands. "No, no, no, no, no."

Anna didn't even hear her. "Of course we have the room. I don't know. Some of them must - "

Elsa spoke firmly. "Wait. Slow down." she said. "No one's brothers are staying here. No one is getting married."

Anna looked at her with confusion. "Wait, what?"

Elsa could feel the dragon beginning to unfurl within her, so her voice shook as she fought to keep herself under control. "May I talk to you, please?' she said, her voice trembling a little more as she addressed Anna. She looked around warily, making sure that she wasn't making a scene. "Alone."

Anna looked up at Hans and noticed his concerned look. She smiled reassuringly at him.

"This won't take long," she said. "Just stay there and...be handsome."

She giggled awkwardly and Elsa rolled her eyes before taking her sister's hand and leading her into the hallways. A few guards were posted and Elsa bid them away so that she could speak to her sister privately. Anna gave her an impatient glare and Elsa did her best to sound firm and resolute.

"Anna, what are you thinking?" she asked, "How long have you known this man?"

Anna smiled and sighed dreamily. "I just met him today."

"So, wait..." Elsa couldn't believe her ears. "You're going to marry a man. You just met. Today?"

Anna smiled happily. "I know! It's amazing what love can do!"

Elsa looked at her, mildly annoyed at how naive her sister could be. "You can't marry a man you just met."

Anna frowned at her. Elsa could see that she was getting impatient.

"You can if it's true love."

Elsa sighed and shook her head with dismay. "Anna, what do you know about true love?"

Anna scoffed. "More than you. All you know is how to shut people out."

Elsa's eyes widened. That hurt her more than she wanted.

_You don't understand..._

"How can you say something like that?" she exclaimed, in a hushed whisper.

Anna threw her hands in the air. "It's true, isn't it?" she snapped. When Elsa hung her head, Anna turned and smiled brightly. "There's an entire world out there, Elsa. I want to see it, feel it and know it while I'm still young! There's LIFE...and color...and joy out there and I can't just sit behind these walls in the dark with the windows closed for the rest of my life!"

She turned to her sister and looked at her desperately.

"I need to see that world! How can you be so selfish?"

Elsa stared at her in shock. "I'm being selfish?!" she exclaimed.

"Yes!" Anna protested, her eyes filled with confused hurt. "And I could never understand why. Even as children, you shut us all out! That's fine if you want to be alone for the rest of your life, but I DON'T!"

Elsa sighed and stared at her sadly. She felt her eyes prickle with tears, but fought to control it. "You have my answer."

Anna scoffed in disbelief and watched her sister's departing back.

"Elsa, please!" she pleaded, "I can't live like this anymore!"

Elsa stopped and fought her tears. She turned partially to Anna and sounded weak with her next words. "...Then leave."

The hurt on Anna's face was almost too much to bear anymore. Elsa turned and started walking back into the party. Anna stood there for several moments, unable to fathom what had happened before she followed her sister inside, forgetting that there were very important people to Arendelle still there.

"What did I ever do to you?!" she cried, heartbroken.

The party was silent now, all attention focused on the two sisters.

Elsa could feel her claws forming beneath her gloves. It wouldn't be long before the dragon threatened to rip her from the inside out. She had to get away to calm down. She looked down and noticed her shadow was beginning to look like the dragon form within her. Dear God, she hoped no one could see it.

"Enough, Anna." Elsa groaned out.

Anna scowled, continuing to push her. "No. Why?" she demanded. "Why do you shut me out?! Why do you shut the world out?!"

The dragon was practically screaming in her head now.

_"What are you so afraid of?!"_

Elsa finally snapped.

She whirled, letting out a roar from her mouth that wasn't human, bellowing out.

"I said, _enough_!" she shouted.

The guests staggered back from her, horrified. Elsa watched their looks of confusion and fear before she stared down, noticing that her hands had become the dragon claws. Her eyes were also glowing yellow.

"Elsa?" Anna gasped.

Elsa stared down at her hands and they shook.

"No..." she whimpered. "No...!"

The dragon was coming and she couldn't stop it. She turned and rushed from the room.

As Elsa sprinted down the hall, she was changing into her dragon form, shredding her dress and cloak in the process. The change was happening so fast, pain coursed through every inch of her being. Her tormented wails of pain became monstrous dragon screeches as she made her way through the halls to escape. She just wanted to find a mountain to hide under and never come out!

Fully transformed, her crown fell to the floor behind her and she crawled her way toward a window. She had no idea if she could even still fly. She hadn't flown in so many years, she had no idea if she'd be able to do it.

Still, the reality was less bearable, so she took the chance.

Behind her, Anna had found the crown and picked it up, staring after her departing sister in shock.

O

The crowds below eagerly awaited the chance to meet the queen, only to hear the sound of glass shattering above. They looked up, watching as a dragon took to the skies, roaring out mournfully. Screaming, the crowds scattered frantically and watched as it disappeared toward the North Mountain.

The Duke and his men rushed from the castle, watching as the dragon disappeared into the night.

"We have to get that monster at once!" he shouted.

Anna pushed through the crowd, desperately calling for her sister. "Elsa, wait!" she cried, "Please!"

Hans rushed to her side, stunned as well. "Did you know about this?" he asked.

Anna shook her head. "No..."

Nearby, the Duke shivered in fright. "That creature!" he cried, "I cannot believe we nearly gave our tributes to a monstrous animal!"

Anna glared at him. "My sister is NOT an animal!"

"She's a flying reptile!"

Anna took a deep inhale. Truthfully, she was shocked by this new revelation, but Elsa was still her sister, no matter what.

"A dragon?" a person in the crowd exclaimed. "The queen?!"

"There's been no dragons since the Dark Ages!"

The Duke turned to his men, determined. "We must hunt her down!"

"No!" Anna shouted. "No one is hunting my sister down!"

The Duke hid behind his men and pointed at her furiously, though fear lit his eyes. "You! Is there sorcery in you, too?" he hissed, shaking his hand at her. "Do you turn into some great animal as well? DO YOU?"

Anna frowned at him. "No. No. I'm completely ordinary."

"That's right she is..." Hans assured them. When Anna gave him an odd look, he smiled reassuringly. "...in the best way."

Anna looked at the Duke now. "And my sister's not a monster."

"Are you joking?" the Duke exclaimed. "She TURNED. INTO. A. DRAGON!"

Hans frowned. "She flew away. If she was dangerous, she would've stayed and attacked everyone."

"She was scared." Anna added. "She didn't mean what happened. She didn't mean any of this..." Anna took a deep inhale and looked at the watchers, now turned to her expectantly. "Tonight was my fault. I pushed her. So I'm the one that needs to go after her."

The Duke nodded his head, scowling. "Yes. Fine. Do."

Hans looked at Anna in disbelief. "What? You can't go!" he insisted. "It's too dangerous!"

Anna turned to the Royal Handler. "Bring me my horse, please." she commanded. She looked at Hans now and smiled at him reassuringly. "Elsa's not dangerous. I'll bring her back, and I'll make this right."

"She's going to bring the monster back here?" someone in the crowd screamed.

They all started talking at once and Anna rubbed her head with one hand, weary. She gathered her horse and cloak from the Royal Handler and mounted her horse. Hans leaned forward and took the reigns before she could think of moving forward with her pursuit.

"Don't do this." he said, softly.

Anna looked down at him. "Hans, I need you to stay here and take care of Arendelle while I'm gone."

Hans read her desperate look and nodded his head reassuringly. "On my honor."

Anna looked to the crowd and addressed them. "I leave Prince Hans in charge!"

Hans still seemed worried. "Are you sure you can trust her? I don't want you getting hurt."

Anna smiled at him. "She's my sister; she would never hurt me."

She snapped the reins and rode out into the night.

O

_Note_ - And to answer the question I'm sure most are wondering; No this is not an Elsanna fic.


	4. Four

~O~

**Four**

The sound of flapping wings caught the attention of Kristoff and his reindeer, Sven.

They looked to the sky, as a great shadow passed overhead, but saw nothing. Sven gave a small shudder and Kristoff looked down at the reindeer with confusion. He patted the thick sides of his animal friend to calm him before frowning toward the North Mountain.

"Huh... That was weird." he said.

Far from the two, Elsa had finally decided to land near a small pond where she rested her aching and throbbing wings. She was sure that no one would follow her. After all, she had flown for what felt like hours before deciding to land, so it seemed safe to take a small break.

She stared down at herself in the pond, watching her terrifying reflection before letting out a roar and angrily slapping the water with her claws. She screamed with rage and anguish, clawing at her own face. It wasn't fair that she had been cursed with this horrible form. It wasn't fair that she lost control. None of it was fair.

Elsa felt tears sliding down her dragon cheeks.

Now...she couldn't even go home. Not after what they had seen.

The mountain before her loomed high and strong. Elsa stared up at it with a despairing sound in her throat. She would be queen, but the ruler of isolation and nothing more. Perhaps she could make this mountain her home like the Beasts of Old. Perhaps even a castle of stone and ice...

Hm. Maybe she could do that.

Elsa tested small at first; she breathed a wave of ice in front of her, forming a towering spire with just a single manner of thought. She smiled a little, amazed at what she could do. Well, this certainly seemed easy once she was relaxed and content with what she was doing.

Maybe that was what she needed.

Now that there was no one around to tell her this form was wrong, it seemed easy to control it. In fact, Elsa was able to work her dragon strength to begin construction of a castle. The more she worked, the better she began to feel. It was the first time she had felt this happy in... God, it had been a long time. She smiled happily to herself.

She could stay here and be who she was without harming anyone. That was the perfect answer.

She could be free.

O

Anna couldn't believe she had lost her horse.

A simple howl of a wolf and her horse bucked her off and left her alone in the forest. It was not an excellent start on her journey to find where her sister had gone and with it being night, the temperature had gotten just a little bit colder than she had wanted. How strange too that it was the middle of July...

Anna grumbled to herself.

"Why couldn't she just tell me what she was?" she muttered. "I mean, I would have understood." She thought about it and winced. "Well, I mean, you can't understand right away. There's a whole 'My sister is a dragon' wow phase you have to get passed, but I would have understood anyway!"

She could see a small cabin in the distance and smiled, relieved to see the sight of some form of civilization. She could gather some supplies and probably find another horse.

When she approached the building, she read the sign out loud:

"Wandering Oaken's Trading Post."

A smaller sign below it read:

"Ooh, and sauna!"

Anna smiled to herself before she looked around and noticed that she was still talking out loud.

"I have GOT to stop doing that." she muttered.

Anna entered the building and noticed that it was full of summer supplies; swimsuits, clogs, and everything else needed for the season. She noticed a man sitting rather low behind a counter, grinning ear to ear, finger tapping tip-to-tip. This was probably Oaken. He looked absolutely happy to see a potential customer.

"Hoo-hoo!" he greeted. "Big summer blowout!"

Anna squinted at him. "Excuse me. What?"

"Half off swimming suits, clogs, and a sun balm of my own invention, yah?" Oaken explained, holding up a bottle with the end of his sentence.

"Okay." Anna said. "Uhm...I need a new horse...maybe some food for the trip and..." She paused, scratching the back of her head. "Has...uh...anything...big passed through here? Like...a dragon or...something?" She grinned widely, an awkward look on her hopeful face.

Oaken looked puzzled before laughing cheerfully.

"Oh! You make me laugh! No dragons in these parts since the Dark Ages!"

Okay. So he HADN'T actually seen her then. A part of Anna was mildly relieved that the entire countryside wasn't rallying to kill her sister then.

The front door beside her suddenly flew open and Kristoff stepped inside. Anna watched him carefully as he made his way toward her and gathered carrots, along with various other supplies that she stood in front of. Kristoff didn't really acknowledge her when she inquired about what he saw.

"Yes. I saw something big fly passed here toward the North Mountain." he snapped, impatient. "I don't know WHAT it was."

Anna smiled. "North Mountain..." she murmured to herself.

Kristoff brought his supplies to the counter and Oaken counted on his fingers.

"That'll be forty."

Kristoff looked at him in disbelief. "Forty? No, ten."

Oaken smiled and spoke, sweet as pie. "Oh dear, that's no good. Forty is the best I can do."

"Did it have...wings?" Anna was pushing Kristoff to tell her what he saw.

Kristoff sighed impatiently. "Yes!" he snapped. He looked at Oaken now. "Ten's all I got. Help me out."

Oaken isolated the carrots from his chosen supplies. "Ten will get you this and no more."

Kristoff growled impatiently and rubbed the bridge of his nose.

"Did it look like it has scales?"

Anna kept pushing and Kristoff glared down at her. "Yes! It was big, had scales and flew!" he snapped. "Now, back up while I deal with this crook here."

Oaken suddenly stood up, revealing his tall, seven-foot stature.

"What did you call me?" he said, in a lower voice lacking the friendliness.

O

Kristoff was tossed from the building by Oaken, who carried him in one arm as if he weighed nothing.

"Bye bye!" Oaken said, cheerfully.

He slammed the door and walked over Anna now, smiling once more.

"I'm sorry about this violence. I will add a quart of lutefisk, so we'll have good feelings!" he told her, syrupy sweet as he was the first time, "Just the outfit and boots, yah?"

Anna nodded her head before staring down at Kristoff's supplies, and the door.

Well, maybe she had found a way to reach her sister after all.

She purchased the supplies that the man had wanted and found him inside the stables, singing with his reindeer - or rather FOR his reindeer while playing the lute. Anna had never seen a sight like that herself, but this man seemed a little odd. Once he was finished singing, she entered the stable with an amused laugh.

"Nice duet." she remarked.

Kristoff jumped up with a start, but relaxed when he saw who it was.

"Oh, it's just you. What do you want?" he sighed.

"I want you to take me up the North Mountain."

Kristoff rolled his eyes and began tuning his lute. "I don't take people places."

He set his lute to the side and leaned back, closing his eyes to get comfortable to sleep. Anna sighed.

"Let me rephrase that..." she said.

Suddenly, Kristoff let out a gasp when Anna dropped a sack of his supplies right onto his lap. He sat up, giving her a dirty look before going through the bag. He looked a little surprised by the offering, but still unwilling to do as she requested. Anna looked at him now with a little more desperation in her gaze.

"Take me up the North Mountain..." she said. "Please."

Kristoff closed his eyes and put his hat over his face. "We leave at dawn..." he told her. "And you forgot the carrots for Sven."

A bag of carrot hit Kristoff square in the face in the face.

"Ow!"

Anna quickly bent down to pick them up. "Oops. Sorry. Sorry. I'm sorry. I didn't - " She corrected herself and put on an air of superiority. "We leave now. Right now."

She stepped outside and waited for the man to get himself ready to go. It took longer than she wanted and when he stepped outside, he gave her a look. "What is so important about having to go to the North Mountain anyway?" he snapped. "Do you know what travels the forest at nights?"

Anna looked at him. "What do you know about dragons?"

O

Kristoff had difficulty understanding what Anna had told him.

So her sister was the Queen of Arendelle. But she was also a dragon who was now taking refuge in the mountain and needed HIM to take her there?

"She won't hurt me." Anna insisted.

"And how do you know that?" Kristoff demanded, thrusting his finger toward their needed location. "You said so yourself that you had barely known anything about her! You don't even know what SHE really is! YOU don't even know what SHE might do to US!"

Anna frowned at him. "SHE is my sister."

Kristoff rubbed the bridge of his nose. "There is no way I am risking my life just so you can talk to a dragon!"

"MY SISTER!"

"I don't care!" Kristoff thrust his hands in the air.

Sven nudged him and Kristoff scowled back at the reindeer. "Don't tell me you're buying into this."

Sven huffed through his lips.

Kristoff glared down at Anna before sighing and holding up one finger. "I'm not going anywhere near a dragon." he snapped. "I'll get you close enough to the mountain and you're on your own, do you understand?"

Anna smiled. "Thank you, Christopher."

"It's Kristoff!"

They climbed into Kristoff's sled and Sven moved forward. Kristoff manned the reigns as the sled skidded rather precariously through the forest. Anna smiled calmly the entire time, though Kristoff glanced back at her occasionally to see if she was going to be terrified of the sharp increase in speed.

"Hang on! We like to go fast!" he yelled.

Anna grinned. "I like fast!"

She leaned back and put her feet up on the sled. Kristoff scowled and pushed them down.

"Whoa, whoa! Get your feet down." he snapped, running his hand along the sled's furnished side. "This is fresh lacquer. Seriously, were you raised in a barn?"

He spit on the dash to clean it, but the spit ended up flying back into Anna's face.

She let out a yelp of disgust and used Kristoff's arm to wipe it off. "Ew. No, I was raised in a castle."

"Castle. No castle." Kristoff shrugged his shoulders. "Can you at LEAST tell me why the Queen went...well...all scales?"

Anna bit her lip. "Oh well, it was all my fault. I got engaged but then she freaked out because I'd only just met him, you know, that day. And she said she wouldn't bless the marriage - "

Kristoff stared at her in disbelief. "Wait. You got engaged to someone you just met?"

"Yeah." Anna attempted to move forward with the conversation, as if it was no big deal. "Anyway, I got mad and so she got mad and then she tried to walk away, and I grabbed her glove - "

"Hang on. You mean to tell me you got engaged to someone you just met?!" Kristoff exclaimed.

Anna sighed, rolling her eyes. "Yes. Pay attention. But the thing is she wore the gloves at the party, so I just thought it was a fear of other people's germs or dirt..." she continued, waving her hands in the air for emphasis.

They argued back and forth, which made the reindeer roll his eyes, grumbling.

"You're crazy!"

"I'm not listening to this!"

"Well that's part of the problem!"

"No, I think YOU just don't know what love is!"

"I might not be an expert, but I know some who are!"

Anna snorted, rolling her eyes. "You have friends who are love experts..." she quipped. "I'm not buying it."

"Well I wasn't asking if you were."

Anna smiled sarcastically. "I have an idea. Let's play the quiet game."

"No, we need to - "

"Have you never played the quiet game?"

"I will turn this sled around and take you back to Arendelle, I mean - "

A sound of howling wolves pierced the night and the two looked over their shoulders. Kristoff stood up and picked up a lantern hanging from the side of the sled. He could see the light reflecting off several eyes in the dark forest. His own widened and he cracked the reigns.

"Sven, go. Go!" he commanded.

Sven rushed forward and Anna looked at Kristoff's worried face.

"What are they?" she cried.

"Wolves."


	5. Five

_Quick Note - _Really, I have no idea what Elsa's dragon form would look exactly like. Honestly, I was rather taken a little by Smaug's design and thought she'd have those arm-wings like most of Skyrim's dragons, but far more feminine and somewhat serpentine as some Norwegian dragon designs are known to look. She'll have horns, but smaller (she's 21, so she'll still be a young dragon as far as age is concerned) and slightly curved. She'll have ridges along her neck and spines and barbs on her tail. The scales would be icy blue and glimmer, much like ice. At least, how I thought of her dragon design. But hey, I'll go and leave that to your imagination. ;)

~O~

**Five**

Kristoff dangled uselessly from the cliff edge, tied down by a rope.

"You know, I work hard." he said to himself. "I pay my dues. But just when your back is turned, a horrible temptress from the fiery depths of hell swoops in and sinks her talons into you. AND she happens to let the one thing you finally paid off plummet into a fiery grave!"

Above him, Anna and Sven were pulling on the rope, attempting to bring him back to the surface. Anna glanced at the reindeer with a sigh.

"Is he always like this?" she asked.

Sven shrugged with a snort.

"Great, now I'M talking to the reindeer..." Anna rolled her eyes.

Anna pulled Kristoff over the cliff and he collapsed onto his back, panting with exhaustion. She leaned down, noticing the burning sled and wincing. Perhaps going for that jump to get away from the wolves had been quite a bad idea to begin with. But had they not done so, they would have been done for.

"Oh...I'll replace your sled and everything in it, I promise." she assured him.

Kristoff groaned and covered his face with one hand.

And I understand if you don't want to help me anymore." Anna sighed sadly and started walking away.

Sven and Kristoff watched her go. She walked the wrong way, contemplating where she had to go.

"Is it this way?" she mumbled to herself. "No. No, I'm sure it's THAT way."

She tripped and fell with a frustrated sound.

Kristoff let out a long-suffering sigh and glanced skyward. "Fine. I guess we're going then..." he snapped. "Think of the new sled. That's it. Just think about that and this will be much more bearable."

Sven happily licked him.

Kristoff rolled his eyes before calling after Anna. "Hold up! We're coming!"

Anna grinned, excited. "You are?!" She quickly caught herself and cleared her throat, putting on an air of superiority once more. "I mean, sure. I'll let you tag along."

"So you really think your sister's going to be okay with us just walking up to her?"

"Sure!"

Kristoff didn't seem so sure.

While they continued their journey, Elsa was attempting to find some manner of sleep in her new castle. She tossed and turned on the stone bed she had crafted, moaning and whimpering with stress.

In her dream, she could hear the sound of Anna calling desperately for her, but she was running through a cavern of ice and mirrors in human form, trying to find her. But it seemed as though she had been going down an endless maze with no sign of finding her. Elsa stopped at a mirror and let out a breathless moan.

"Anna..."

_"Elsssssaaaaa..."_ a voice whispered, as cold as the night wind.

Elsa looked around warily. "Who's there?" she demanded.

The mirrors around her reflected blue scales. Elsa tried to find the source of the voice, but all she was looking at was herself.

_"Come now, Elsa. You know who I am."_

Elsa closed her eyes. Behind her, a reflection of her dragon form appeared, grinning ear-to-ear. Though this looked much darker than what she was capable of appearing. She looked out and her dream was nothing more than an endless room of mirrors. The dragon at her side chuckled softly.

_"I am the beast that they fear. They fear you for what you are."_

Elsa squeezed her eyes shut, stifling a sound of despair. Just a dream. That's all it was.

_"Don't worry for your sister."_

The dragon gestured out with one claw and an image reflected in of Anna happily married to Hans. Elsa smiled sorrowfully at the sight. It flashed constantly, changing into many scenes of Anna and Hans together, with a joyous family. Everything seemed to be right.

_"Look at how happy she is." _the dragon crooned. _"Married to the man of her dreams. Oh, and she doesn't have her sister holding her back anymore. She is happy."_

_"Elsa! Do not listen to that dragon!_"

Another version of her dragon form appeared, though this one looked brighter and seemed to reflect more than just her beastly nature. It was the innocence she had lost so long ago. It's eyes weren't yellow, but a lovely shade of blue that seemed to blend in with the rest of its body. How strange that it seemed to speak in the voice of her sister...

_"It will lie to you." _

_"That one is weak. It is your fear. The fear that keeps you from unleashing your true violence on the world."_

_"No, Elsa. There is nothing to fear from this form! You must use it to better yourself as well as others. Show them that you are not the monster they claim you are." _The brighter dragon leaned forward. _"It will be okay. I promise you. Everything will all be okay. There's no need to fear anymore."_

_"Elsa..." _the colder dragon whispered. _"Don't resist. Give in to it. Become more than a human. Become what you were mean to be."_

Elsa covered her ears with two hands and tried to block out the sound of the colder dragon hissing.

She awoke from the dream with a sharp cry, jolting out of her stone bed. Her face was covered in sweat and she wiped a hand down her cheek to try and calm herself. Her hands were shaking and she noticed that they had begun to transform into dragon claws once again.

She clenched them tight to the point that the claws cut into her palms, slicing through the scales and drawing blood.

Through the cold, empty castle, only the sounds of her soft sobbing could be heard.

O

Anna, Sven and Kristoff made their way through a forest of willow trees.

"...Why do they call it a clog anyway?"

"I don't know."

"I mean, it sounds really unpleasant. Who wants something that sounds unpleasant on their feet?"

Kristoff sighed impatiently, looking toward Sven. "She certainly talks a lot, doesn't she?"

Then, he added in a voice for Sven. "It could be worse."

Kristoff looked at his reindeer sternly. "NEVER say that."

"Does it feel colder as we get closer to the North Mountain?" Anna wondered, frowning thoughtfully.

Just then, a voice chimed up from out of nowhere. Kristoff, Sven and Anna looked around warily, trying to find the source.

"Yeah, July is pretty. But what about winter? ... Oh, it's colder up north. Maybe we need some snow. But add a little color to it. Color's always nice."

As the rambling went on, Anna and Kristoff looked at each other before glancing back at Sven, but the reindeer wasn't the one speaking. Behind them, a small, chubby dragon waddled by on all fours, admiring the scenery. He had white scales and tiny wings, but large eyes and a stubby tail.

"How about we put yellow flowers in with the snow?" the small dragon suggested, smiling happily. He looked up at the two humans. "What about you guys?"

Anna suddenly screamed and jumped back, stumbling into Sven. The reindeer let out a cry of his own and Kristoff jumped back as well. The small dragon looked up at them with a constantly cheerful smile.

"It's a dragon!" Kristoff whispered.

"I know it is!" Anna snapped. "Don't you think I can see that?"

The dragon stood on two legs and waved.

"He doesn't look that scary." Anna whispered back.

The dragon smiled and held out one clawed hand. It was chubby and the talons looked too small to do any form of real damage.

"All right, let's start this thing over." he said. "Hi everyone. I'm Olaf. And I like warm hugs."

Anna blinked once before smiling. "Olaf?"

He grinned expectantly to Anna. "And you are...?"

"Oh, um...I'm Anna." She was feeling a little better having spoken to a dragon.

Olaf leaned to one side, whispering rather uneasily to her. "And who's the funky-looking donkey over there?"

"That's Sven."

"Uh-huh. And who's the reindeer?"

"...Sven."

Olaf looked from Kristoff to Sven and back again a few times. He still seemed confused, but fluttered his tiny wings with a delighted smile nonetheless. Anna wondered how he was able to move around with wings so small. "Makes things easier for me!" he said.

Anna chuckled. He was kind of cute. "Olaf, do you know anything about my sister? She turned into a dragon and flew to the North Mountain."

Olaf smiled and nodded. "Yeah. Why?"

Curious, Kristoff poked Olaf's wings and studied it with fascination. It flicked at the lightest contact and smacked him in the face. Though Olaf didn't seem to derail from Anna's questions. In fact, he had the most clueless, yet highly focused attention span she'd ever seen.

"Do you know where she is?" Anna asked him.

"Yeah. Why?"

"Do you think you could show us the way?"

"Yeah. Why?"

"Because my sister is in danger." Anna insisted, trying to be patient. "I want to make things right before all of Arendelle tries to hunt her down."

Olaf smiled. "Okay!"

Kristoff stared down at Olaf curiously. "Are there more dragons still alive?"

Olaf chuckled and waved him off. "Most of them hide. Like this!"

He took a deep inhale and suddenly vanished into thin air. Kristoff and Anna looked around, wondering where the little dragon went. Suddenly, Kristoff let out a yelp and jerked back, holding his leg. Olaf appeared again, letting out a deep exhale as if he had been winded. Then, he grinned triumphantly.

"Let's go." Anna said. "I want to get to Elsa before something goes wrong."

Olaf smiled and shrugged. "What could go wrong?"

O

The Duke slammed a bag filled with weapons onto the table.

His men and Hans observed this with confusion.

"Why do you have weapons?" Hans demanded. "Do you know what could have happened if - "

The Duke chuckled and shook his head. "I always bring something with me if I need it." he told the prince.

"Princess Anna has given her orders and - "

The Duke scowled at him. "And that's another thing; has it dawned on you that your princess may be conspiring with a wicked sorceress to destroy us all?" he snapped. "She may be going there right now to inform that...beast that she could do more harm than any good!"

Hans glared at him, leaning forward and speaking menacingly.

"Do not question the Princess," he warned. "She left me in charge, and I will not hesitate to protect Arendelle from treason."

The Duke looked offended and stunned. "Treason?!"

"However..." Hans said, clearing his throat. "Should it come time to defend Arendelle from a possible dragon attack, we will take all necessary measures we must. Arendelle depends on us for protection. So should it come to that..." Hans demonstrated by testing the sharpness of his own blade. He swung it and it whistled through the air, cutting neatly through a curtain nearby.

"We will do what must be done."

Suddenly, Kali rushed into the room, breathless. "Prince Hans! It's Princess Anna's horse!"

The men rushed outside, where the horse had been retrieved from the Royal Handler. Hans attempted to calm the still frightened animal.

"Whoa! Whoa! Whoa, boy. Easy. Easy."

The crowd began to grow alarmed by the animal without the Princess.

"Princess Anna's horse."

"What happened to her? Where is she?"

Hans steadied the horse for a moment before looking out to everyone. "I need volunteers to go with me to find her!"

Volunteers, some from Arendelle, some from other lands, rush up to offer their services. Hans made his way back into the castle for supplies and passed a sealed room, calling for others who would be willing to help him. The door of the chambers creaked open and he frowned thoughtfully.

"Hello?" he called. "Listen, your services to your country are needed. You must - "

He cut himself off when he stepped inside and noticed the room was cold and empty. There was nothing inside but storage containers and various other objects that seemed meaningless. He murmured slightly and went to shut the door, but the sound of cold hissing gathered his attention again. He entered the room and looked around, mildly cautious.

"Hello?"

He noticed the portrait of the King hanging on the wall with his wife and two children. Elsa looked mildly unhappy with the painting she was in, but Anna was too young and just smiled constantly. The grim appearance of the parents was somewhat unsettling. Hans studied the painting for a moment before making a small, thoughtful sound.

But something drew his attention closer to the painting.

How strange...

A hole was made right in the center where the girls' hands met. He frowned and took hold of the painting before removing it from the wall. A small hole had been made in the wall and Hans leaned forward, squinting before he noticed something inside the tiny hole.

A rolled up scroll, about the size of his finger.

Hans reached inside and removed it, opening the scroll to read the contents written inside.

The more he read, the more grave his features became.

O

_Note - _For some reason, I picture the dragon in Elsa's dream (the dark one) to be speaking in Pitch's voice. XD


	6. Six

~O~

**Six**

Anna, Kristoff, Sven and Olaf made their way up the mountain. Olaf was trotting on all fours, humming a loud, happy song to himself.

"So Olaf..." Anna questioned. "Where did all the dragons go?"

Olaf smiled up at her. "They went into hiding, fell asleep, became the mountains..."

Kristoff looked startled. "Became the mountains?"

"Yeah! There are lots, and lots, and lots, and LOTS of different kinds of dragons, you know." Olaf explained, as if he should have known that. "Some of them became one with the universe, others decided to sleep forever. Some became humans too, you know. Sleeping away in a squishy little human. Imagine it!"

Anna nodded her head. "My sister is one."

Olaf grinned and looked up at her. "Really? That's great! We can meet her, have a nice dinner, and - "

Kristoff held out a hand. "Wait, are you even sure she's going to want to talk to us?"

"Why not?" Olaf asked, smiling. "I bet Elsa's the nicest, gentlest, warmest person ever."

Anna was still interested in learning more about dragons. After all, it would help her in learning more about her sister too. "Olaf, how old are you?"

"Five hundred and thirteen, and still young!"

"And do all dragons breathe fire or can they do more?"

"Much more! I breathe hot air!"

He let out a deep inhale before blowing a gust of air that propelled his chubby form backwards. He crashed into a tree upside down with a small groan. Anna approached him and knelt down, helping the dragon in an upright position. Olaf smiled cheerfully at her.

"Still working it out." he said.

Anna couldn't resist her giggle. Olaf was cute.

Kristoff walked a little ahead of them and stared up at the face of the mountain that went straight up. He sighed.

"It's too steep." he said, as Anna and Olaf approached, "I've only got one rope, and you don't know how to climb mountains."

Anna scowled. "Says who?"

"Says the guy who almost watched you die trying to find your way on your own."

Kristoff sighed and watched as she attempted to climb the mountain. Anna grunted and searched for footholds and hand-holds. He rolled his eyes, unable to fathom the depths of her insanity. It only took a long moment before she fell back to the ground, flat on her back.

"How do you know Elsa even wants to see you?" Kristoff asked.

Anna growled in frustration and attempted to climb again.

"I'm just blocking you out cause I gotta concentrate here." she snapped.

"You know, most people who disappear into the mountains want to be alone."

"Nobody wants to be alone. Except maybe you - "

Kristoff looked affronted by that. "I'm not alone..." he argued. "I have friends, remember?"

"Oh right? I forgot," Anna quipped. "The 'love experts'."

"Yes, the love experts!"

Olaf stepped out from behind a rock and waved at the two. "Hey, Sven? Not sure if this is going to solve the problem, but I found a staircase that leads exactly where you want it to go."

Anna smiled happily. "Ha ha. Thank goodness!"

She suddenly fell onto the ground again with a ridiculous "WHOOP" sound and Kristoff smiled down at her.

"You weren't supposed to fall."

"Well, you know, gravity..." Anna muttered.

She stood up and brushed off her dress before she quickly hopped off to follow Olaf. A smile lit Kristoff's lips.

She was a little funny in her own way.

O

The palace loomed over them, made of ice and stone.

Kristoff leaned back properly to view it. "Now that's ice. I might cry."

Anna smiled. "Go ahead. I won't judge."

She started up the great stairway with Olaf in tow. Kristoff started to follow, but he told Sven to remain below on the chance that it would be dangerous for him. Sven obediently plopped his butt down onto the ground while the others made their way up the stairs.

Kristoff admired the clean cut of the ice that formed the stairs, the railing and the castle as they arrived at the towering double doors.

Anna raised her enclosed hand to knock, but hesitated.

"Just knock." Olaf said.

Anna still made no move to do so.

"Here, it's easy!" he told her. "Let me show you!"

He walked up to the door and smacked it with his tail. The sound echoed inside and the doors slid open. Anna laughed with mild uncertainty.

"Ha. It opened. That's a first." she remarked. She turned to them. "I want you to stay out here and give us a minute. The last time I introduced her to a guy...well..." She caught Kristoff's worried look and held out two hands to him. "I can do this. Just stay out here and wait a minute. Both of you."

Olaf nodded. "Okay."

As Anna disappeared inside, Olaf started counting and Kristoff joined in.

Anna walked into a large, glistening foyer. It was made of ice and glittering crystals. The stone complimented it rather nicely, but there was also an eerie chill in the air. The heavy sensation of loneliness and fear that she could practically taste on her tongue. It was lovely to see, but sad to experience.

"Elsa? It's me...Anna!" she called.

"Anna."

She looked up and saw Elsa stepping out of the shadows, wearing a beautiful blue dress and flowing cape that glittered almost like her dragon scales. Her hair even looked different; it flowed in lovely, white wisps against her face. Anna's eyes widened in amazement, struck by the sight of her sister.

"Elsa, wow!" she exclaimed. "You...you look different..." She corrected herself. "It's a good different..." Her eyes wandered around the palace. "And this place is amazing."

Elsa smiled and spoke politely, but her voice was still cautious. "Thank you, I never knew what I was capable of."

Anna took a step up the stairs, but Elsa's eyes widened somewhat and she backed away.

"Elsa, listen," she said. "I'm so sorry about what happened back there. If I'd known - "

Elsa held up two hands, still backing up. She could feel the dragon twisting again in response to her fear. "No, it's okay. You don't have to apologize..." she told her.

"So...a dragon, huh?" Anna attempted to make conversation.

Elsa nodded, her features mildly guarded.

"It's pretty amazing, actually." Anna said, smiling up at her. "It didn't look scary at all. It's...just another part of you."

Elsa understood that Anna was only trying to do well for her, but she couldn't have her here anymore. The chance of knowing that she almost hurt her was just unbearable for her to live with. If she did it again in some form of fear, she wouldn't forgive herself if Anna ended up with much worse than a scar.

"Anna, you should probably go, please." she said, turning.

Anna frowned, somewhat hurt. She couldn't help it. "But I just got here."

"You belong in Arendelle."

"So do you."

Anna took another step up, but Elsa backed away like a skittish doe. "No, I belong here. Alone." she told her. "Where I can be who I am without hurting anybody." She turned her back and hung her shoulders. "You belong with people, Anna. I never did. It's better this way."

"Elsa, please. Let's just talk." Anna soothed.

Elsa exhaled and her eyes began to change yellow.

"Fifty-Eight...Fifty-Nine...Sixty!"

Elsa's eyes resumed their blue shade and she turned, frowning. "Wait. What is that?"

The smaller dragon scampered into the palace, happily waving. "Hi, I'm Olaf and I like warm hugs!"

Elsa squinted, surprised by the sight of another dragon.

"He's another dragon, just like you." Anna offered, kneeling down to Olaf. "So you're not alone, Elsa. We can fix this, together."

"Another dragon..." Elsa pondered.

Anna nodded, smiling hopefully. "We were so close, Elsa. " she said. "We can be that way again."

Elsa smiled at the thought. Oh, how she wanted that to be true, But her smile disappeared when she noticed the hideous scar along Anna's arm. She could still see herself, cutting Anna's arm after she had gone into a frenzy attacking those wolves. She snapped back to reality and held herself, backing away.

"No, we can't." she said, her voice shaking. "Goodbye, Anna."

She turned and made her way up the secondary steps.

"Elsa, wait - " Anna pleaded.

"No, I'm just trying to protect you." Elsa called down to her, continuing to flee.

Anna continued to follow. "You don't have to protect me. I'm not afraid!" she insisted. "Please don't shut me out again."

Once she made it to the top of the stairs, Elsa was gone and in her place was her dragon form. Anna stopped, amazed by the sight of being so close to her sister in this shape. Elsa glanced back at her, and Anna's features twisted in pain.

"Elsa, please..." she whispered. "I can't lose you too."

Elsa's eyes widened and her mouth parted with a soft gasp. She seemed to struggle internally before turning to her sister. Her great form loomed over her and she lowered her head. Anna reached out and touched the side of her sister's dragon head and Elsa closed her eyes.

She wanted it all to be true; Anna's words. She wanted to go down and pretend as though nothing happened.

She changed back to human form and noticed Anna staring up at her hopefully.

"Elsa, we can go back down there together," she assured her, "I can MAKE them see. I'll PROVE to them that you're not a monster. No matter what it takes, you don't have to live in fear."

Elsa's fear had grown stronger. She could hear the dragon whispering in her head and it became too much. She transformed back into her dragon form, letting out a roar that shook the ice foundation around them. It was a defeated, anguished sound of pure surrender to fear.

Elsa looked down at Anna then and noticed her sister holding her hand. It was bleeding. Her eyes widened in horror with a soft gasp. She had transformed entirely too close to her sister and somehow cut her in the process. Just then, Olaf and Kristoff rushed into the room to Anna's side.

"Anna. Are you okay?" Kristoff asked, worried. "You're bleeding!"

Anna straightened as Kristoff wrapped the palm of her hand. "I'm okay... I'm fine."

Elsa looked at Kristoff and backed away. _"Who's this?" _she gasped. Her voice came out lower, much more deep in this form. Shaking her head, she hissed out. _"Wait, it doesn't matter. You have to go."_

Anna shook her head, wincing at the pain in her hand. "No, I know we can figure this out together - "

_"How?" _Elsa demanded, her tail flicking back and forth behind her. _"What power do you have to stop me? What power do you have to make them see? They are afraid of me, Anna! I am a beast!"_

Anna didn't have the answer. Kristoff was getting nervous as Elsa seemed more and more agitated than before.

"Anna, I think we should go." he advised.

She shook her head, close to tears. "I'm not leaving without you, Elsa."

The dragon before her took a deep inhale, those massive sides expanding. Her eyes were filled with sadness. _"Yes, you are."_

O

Before Anna, Kristoff and Olaf knew what was happening, Elsa had swooped out of the ice palace and deposited them with ease. Anna scrambled to climb back up the stairs once the dragon had disappeared back into the palace and she beat on the door with two fists.

"Elsa!" she shouted. "Please, just listen to me!"

Inside, Elsa made an effort to ignore it, holding her ears in her claws.

Eventually, Anna gave up and groaned, sliding to the ground. Kristoff rushed to her side and helped her down the stairs. The place where Elsa had scratched her was already soaking the wrap that he had bound her hand with. He glanced at it briefly with concern.

"You okay?" he asked.

Anna nodded her head sadly. "Thank you."

Their eyes met briefly and they laughed shyly.

"Um..." Anna tried to keep the level of embarrassment at a low. "How's your head?"

She touches the spot where he banged his head when Elsa had deposited them too harshly. He winced and jerked back, but attempted to play it off as if it were nothing.

"It's fine. Ah...I'm good." he told her. "Ha. I've got a thick skull."

Olaf grinned and climbed up Kristoff's back, making the man wince in pain. "Ow!"

"Ooh! Let me see!" Olaf said, excitedly. He tapped Kristoff's head with one hand. "Yup! That's a hard head, all right!"

"Get off me!" Kristoff tossed the dragon to the ground.

He looked down at Anna's hand and unwrapped the cloth he'd used to stop the flow of blood. The cut looked a little worse than it had before; it had begun to discolor, turning into a sickly purple and her flesh in her hand looked as though it was losing its healthy pink color.

"Does it look bad?" Anna asked him.

Kristoff bit his lip, thinking about it.

"...No."

Olaf glanced up at him skeptically. "You hesitated."

Kristoff gave him a dirty look. "No, I didn't." He looked at Anna again. "Anna, you need help. Now, come on."

They started off into the sunset.

"Okay! Where are we going?" Olaf asked.

Kristoff looked determined. "To see my friends."

Anna chuckled a little. "The love experts?"

"Yes. And don't worry; they'll be able to fix this."

"How do you know?"

"Because I've seen them do it before."


	7. Seven

~O~

**Seven**

Elsa paced around her palace, distraught about what she had done.

"How did I even do that?" she moaned. "I don't remember hurting her! Please, get it under control!"

She stared down at her hand and noticed her sister's blood still there on her fingertips. Elsa gave a horrified shriek and quickly rushed to clean the blood from them. It was a terrible sight that she never wanted to see again. When she screamed again, the only sound that came out of her lips was the wail of the dragon.

That night, the Northern Lights were bright.

Olaf was riding on Sven's back while Anna walked with Kristoff. She shivered a little and he looked down at her.

"Are you cold?" he asked.

"A little." she admitted.

He reached to put an arm around her, but decided against it and it seemed a little too close for comfort. He glanced around before noticing a rock-lined pass where steam vents occasionally spouted from the volcanic activity below. He held her hands over one of them.

Anna smiled, sighing with relief. "Oooh...that's nice." she said.

Kristoff smiled, but glanced down at her arm and noticed that a sick, green color began to tinge her veins along her wrist. His smile disappeared and they continued on the path, stopping from vent to vent so that Anna could warm herself up. It was a bit worrying that she was cold in the middle of July.

"So, about my friends...well, I say friends, they're more like family..." Kristoff began. "Anyway, when I was a kid, it was just me and Sven...until they took me in."

Anna smiled, somewhat moved by that. "They did?"

Kristoff rubbed the back of his neck and began to ramble a little. "Yeah. I don't want to scare you, they can be a little bit inappropriate...and loud...very loud...they're also stubborn at times, and a little overbearing." he explained. "Oh. And heavy. And heavy. Really, really heavy."

Anna wasn't sure what the big deal was. They sounded quite friendly.

"Kristoff, they sound wonderful." she assured him.

They stopped at a valley filled with rocks and he gestured out.

"Meet my family."

Kristoff and Sven moved through them, waving and greeting while Olaf and Anna stood there, dumbfounded.

"They're rocks." Anna said, matter-of-factly.

Olaf blinked slowly, his wings fluttering. "He's crazy." He whispered sidelong to her. "I'll distract them while you run."

Just then the rocks around them start rolling. Olaf jumped up.

"Haunted rocks!" he exclaimed.

Olaf he lit up with a giggle and chased them as they surrounded Kristoff. "Come back rock!"

The rocks unfurled into trolls who eagerly embraced Kristoff, smothering him with attention. He attempted to answer their questions and glanced back at Anna with embarrassment. She merely laughed a little, still in shock by what she was seeing. But with the presence of dragons, it really shouldn't have been such a surprise to her.

"Pick me up, Kristoff!" a troll cried.

Kristoff sank under the weight of the younger troll with a yelp.

Olaf looked confused. "Wait. Kristoff?" He had thought his name was Sven.

Just then, all troll eyes turned to Anna.

"He's brought a girl!" a female troll exclaimed.

"He's brought a girl!" they all cried together.

Before Anna knew it, she was surrounded and rolled over to Kristoff, falling into his arms. They awkwardly parted with shy smiles before a female troll climbed on top of another and eyed her approvingly.

"Let me see. Bright eyes. Working nose." she pondered, going over each feature of Anna's with her thick, troll fingers, "Strong teeth. Yes, yes, yes. She'll do nicely for our Kristoff."

Anna and Kristoff tried to assure the trolls that nothing was going on between them, but they didn't seem to want to listen.

"Can we just stop talking about this?! We've got a real, actual problem here." Kristoff insisted. "Besides, she engaged to someone else anyway."

The trolls stared at Anna before forming a huddle, talking amongst each other.

Anna suddenly began to feel dizzy. She blinked, swayed a little on her feet while she barely felt Kristoff's hand on her shoulder, his voice asking if she was okay. She looked at him weakly, only able to read his lips through the thin haze of pain that followed shortly after. She collapsed and Kristoff caught her in his arms. She started shivering and he removed her cape, seeing that the thick, green veins had stretched further up her arm.

"Anna!" he exclaimed.

The trolls circled the scene, whispering worriedly to each other. Grand Pabbie made his way through the crowd and they cleared a path for him. Kristoff looked up, relieved to see him.

"Grand Pabbie!"

"Bring her to me, Kristoff." the older troll said, beckoning.

Kristoff helped Anna over to him and Grand Pabbie studied her eyes. His hand went to her arm and he touched the palm of her hand where Elsa had cut her. He closed his eyes briefly before looking at her.

"Anna, your life is in danger," he told her. "Dragon's Venom flows through your veins, put there by your sister in an act of fear. If it isn't removed soon, you will die."

Anna looked horrified. "What...? No."

"So remove it, Grand Pabbie." Kristoff looked much more scared for her than she expected.

"I can't," the older troll said, with much regret, "The venom has begun to take root. Has Elsa been younger, I may have been able to do so. But only an act of true love can remove it."

Anna looked surprised. "An act of true love?"

The female troll who had spoke to Anna grinned. "Maybe a true love's kiss?"

Every troll began to make kissing sounds and Anna shivered again. She stared down at her arm and nearly collapsed, buy Kristoff caught her again.

"Anna, we've got to get you back to Hans." he said.

Anna's features lit up slightly, though she felt weaker now. "Hans..."

Kristoff helped Anna onto Sven and he hopped up behind her. He looked back at Olaf and gestured for him to follow.

"Come on, Olaf!"

Olaf smiled and galloped after them. "Let's go kiss Hans!" he yelled. "Wait, who is this Hans?!"

Meanwhile, Elsa was scuplting something out of ice in her dragon form. She stepped back to observe her handiwork - a tall statue of a monstrous dragon with ice claws. Wings were impractical, but this creature would serve a better purpose anyway.

It would keep anyone out.

O

Hans and his group of men walked cautiously toward Elsa's castle. They looked around for signs of her, but all seemed to be eerily quiet for the most part.

"We are here to find Princess Anna," Hans instructed to them. "Be on guard, but no harm is to come to the Queen. Do you understand?"

The Duke's mem exchanged a brief look.

Suddenly, there was a piercing shriek and the group looked up, seeing a massive shape of ice scale down the length of the palace and land in front of them.

A dragon made of pure ice.

It let out a roar and stomped its icy claws inches from Hans. _"Go away!"_

Of course, they did not.

They all took up arms against the ice dragon, shooting with crossbows and swinging with swords. Hans had to roll to the side to avoid the dragon's tail as it came down.

The Duke's men noticed that Elsa had been watching through the front doors and charged up the stairs while the ice dragon was distracted.

"What are they doing here?" Elsa whispered, fearfully.

She quickly fled up to the top floor of her palace with the two men in hot pursuit. They cornered her on the top floor and raised their crossbows.

Elsa held out two hands, frightened. "No. Please." she begged.

One of them shot and arrow right at her. At that last moment, she transformed and shielded her face with her wing. The sight of her dragon form unnerved the two men at first, but they quickly repositioned to take another shot at her. All around them, the ice had become a bright yellow.

_"Leave me alone!" _Elsa bellowed, opening her mouth.

She breathed jets of ice at them and they ducked to avoid each blast. Elsa let out a roar and fought back for her life, frantic in her attacks.

Outside, Hans and the others had dispatched the frozen dragon and he rushed up the stairs. He had to stop the Duke's men from doing something he knew they were going to do.

Inside the palace, Elsa stood in a crouch, warily observing the two men who had her flanked on two sides. Her eyes darted back and forth between them both.

In a swift move, she sneezed a jet of ice, disarming one of them. He frantically dove for his weapon and her claws came down, pinning him screaming beneath her. The other went to shoot, but she opened her mouth and blasted a jet of ice, trapping him in a cage of spikes.

She looked down at the man trapped beneath her, baring her sharp teeth with a snarl. The man whimpered and cringed when she roared in his face.

Hans and his group rushed into the room and saw the situation.

"Queen Elsa!" Hans shouted. "Don't be the monster they fear you are."

Elsa glared back at him, snarling. Slowly, her rage began to drain and she stared at the frightened men. A slow widening in her eyes and a soft shudder had her lifting her paw from the man beneath her. She looked back at Hans, overwhelmed and frightened as she shifted back to human form.

_This is exactly what I didn't want._

The cage of ice disappeared from around the guard and he took that advantage, aiming at the back of Elsa's head. Hans saw the move and rushed, pushing the crossbow up as it released the arrow.

The arrow struck a chandelier of ice hanging directly above Elsa. She looked up with horror as it came crashing down. She scrambled to get out of the way, but ended up falling forward from the great blast.

Hans and his men approached, observing the unconscious queen.

"We should end her now before she becomes that monster again!" one of the Duke's men hissed.

Hans glared at him. "You're lucky I don't have you tried for this." he threatened, getting in the man's face. "I saw that you almost took her life. But right now, we need to get her back to Arendelle."

"What? Why?"

"For her sister."

O

_"Elsa...wake up, dear."_

Elsa's eyes fluttered open. She felt a cold, damp floor beneath her and noticed that she was surrounded by stone. She found it difficult to move and looked down.

Chains wrapped around her wrists and ankles. Leaning forward, she noticed that they were branded with Nordic runes. Elsa frowned and tugged on them, but they held strong against her wrists. The runes flashed once with a green light before dimming.

Hans entered the room and carried a torch. He placed it into a hanger near the door.

Elsa tried to remember his name. Was it... Oh, it was Hans. This was the man Anna wanted to marry. She had no idea of his true intentions just yet.

"Why have you brought me here?" she demanded.

Hans looked affronted. "I couldn't just let them kill you."

Elsa looked down at the chains and winced. "What are - Where did you get these?"

"Oh!" Hans removed the scroll he had found. "I discovered these enchanted chains after reading the letter...left by your father."

Elsa looked stunned by this revelation. "What?"

"I'll read it to you, if you'd prefer, Your Majesty." Hans offered. He opened the scroll, cleared his throat and began to read.

" 'My daughter's transformations have become more and more sporadic with each passing day. My greatest fear is that she may become the monster they will hunt. I cannot bear to see that happen to her. Should she become too powerful, I was given a gift to bind her in human form. Whoever finds this scroll, be you friend to Arendelle, please protect my daughter at all costs'."

Elsa couldn't believe what she was hearing.

Hans rolled up the scroll and looked at her sadly. "I'm sorry. I will do what I can to persuade them you are no monster. But - "

"Where's Anna?" Elsa demanded.

"Anna?" Hans looked surprised before shaking his head. "She hasn't returned."

Elsa looked horrified.

_"Didn't I tell you, Elsa?" _

She looked into a reflection of water near her and the dragon from her dreams stared back, grinning from ear-to-ear. She jerked back, just as Hans left the room, bathing her in total darkness.

_"They all fear you."_

Elsa had to get out.

And fast.


	8. Eight

~O~

**Eight**

Elsa grunted and struggled to pull the chains from her, but they held strong. In her present shape, she couldn't just pull them off.

"Papa..." she said, softly. "Why?"

Meanwhile, Sven was charging down the mountain and arrived at the walls of Arendelle. Olaf panted as he raced to keep up with the reindeer.

"I'll meet you guys at the castle!" he yelled.

Kristoff shook his head. "Stay out of sight, Olaf!" he ordered. "You're a dragon. Two would probably send this place into more of a panic than we all need."

"I will!" Olaf walked through the streets of the village.

Kristoff could hear him saying "Hello" to someone, and a townswoman shrieked.

"Dragon!"

Kristoff rolled his eyes and approached the gates of the castle. Two guards approached the scene and noticed that Anna was with him.

"Princess Anna!" they exclaimed.

Kristoff slid off Sven and helped Anna to the gates. She smiled up at him gratefully, but she still felt so weak. She glanced down at the palm of her hand, staring at the hideous spider web of green that had formed around her wound.

"Are you g-gonna be okay?" she asked him.

Kristoff tried not to seem so touched by the question. "Don't worry about me." he assured her. "I'll be fine. You just...get in there and kiss Hans."

His tone did not sound as enthused when he said that, but he didn't have a chance to really say more as handmaids, Kai and a few guards rushed to help Anna.

"Anna!" Gerda exclaimed, "Oh, you had us worried sick!"

"Lets get you inside, my Lady." Kai said.

Kristoff and Sven watched as they led Anna away.

"Get her to Prince Hans, immediately!" Kristoff called.

Kai nodded his head. "We will," he said, "Thank you."

And with that, the gates shut right on him. Kristoff stood there in silence with Sven before letting out a dejected sigh. He turned and walked away with Sven following.

Once inside the castle, Kai ushered Anna into a room where Hans stood with a French and Spanish dignitary. They had seemed to be in discussion until noticing Anna there.

"Prince Hans!" Kai announced, "Princess Anna has returned!"

Hans rushed to her and she fell into his arms. Hans looked startled by the abrupt movement and felt her arms. They were cold and he noticed the web of green forming on her arms.

"Hans, you have to kiss me..." Anna groaned, weakly.

Hans blinked, startled. He glanced at the others watching, somewhat put on the spot.

"What?" he asked.

Anna smiled weakly. "Now." she mumbled. "Here we go."

She leaned up to try and kiss him, but was too weak. Gerda and the others smiled knowingly and began to leave the room.

"We'll give you two some privacy." she said.

Everyone shuffled out of the room, leaving them alone. Hans watched them go before turning to Anna. He looked concerned by the green in her veins.

"What happened out there?" he asked, "Your arm..."

Anna closed her eyes sadly. "Elsa struck me with her powers."

"I thought you said she'd never hurt you."

Anna started to crumble a little, so Hans helped her to a couch, setting her down. She seemed weaker by the minute and he knew it had something to do with her arm.

"I was wrong..." she said, softly. "She's poisoned me with Dragon's Venom and only an act of true love can save me from dying."

Hans nodded, understanding. "Ah. A true love's kiss."

Anna smiled, happy that he understood. She watched as he leaned down, gazed tenderly into her eyes with that lovely smile. He took her chin in his hand, leaned forward. She felt herself shiver with anticipation. Just one kiss and it would all be fixed...

Then, he stopped.

Anna watched as a look came to his eyes. It was no longer tender, but mildly cruel.

"Oh, Anna. If only there was someone out there who loved you."

Anna looked stunned. She watched Hans get up and leave her on the couch, approaching the window and closing the curtains.

"You said you did." She hated how utterly pathetic that sounded.

Hans sighed and shook his head, pacing around the room now. "As thirteenth in line in my kingdom, I didn't stand a chance. I knew I'd have to marry into the throne somewhere - "

"What are you talking about?"

Hans began to put out several candles one by one. "As heir, Elsa was preferable, of course. But no one was getting anywhere with her. Social anxiety and all."

Anna was getting scared. A cold feeling of dread stabbed through her chest. "Hans?"

He turned to her, drawing his sword. His features were much colder. "You were so desperate for love you were willing to marry me, just like that." he said, sneering at the idea. "Well, after the wedding, I figured that Elsa might find herself having a little...accident."

He stabbed his sword into the table for emphasis.

Anna tried to get up, but she fell to the floor with a defeated sound. "Hans...you can't do this," she groaned, "Please, stop."

Hans sighed, shaking his head, pitiless to her condition. "But then she doomed herself, and you were dumb enough to go after her."

Anna moved, a futile attempt to crawl across the floor. "Please..."

Hans chuckled. "And now, it falls to me to be the brave prince who slays the dragon and saves the village from destruction. it's so...storybook, but one works with what one has."

Anna shakily glared up at him. "You're no match for Elsa."

Hans tsked with mock sympathy and bent down to her. "No. I don't think YOU are a match for her." He took her chin in his hand with a little more roughness than before. "I will be the one who will save Arendelle from destruction."

Anna wrenched from his grasp. "You won't get away with this!"

Hans smiled, rose and walked to the door. "My dear Anna... I already have."

He shut it behind him and Anna withered with a moan when she heard the sound of a key locking into place. She weakly crawled to the door, through a haze of pain and yanked on the handle.

"Please...someone help me..." she groaned, hoarse and weak.

She collapsed and ribbons of green swam further throughout her body, creeping up the side of her face.

O

"Queen Elsa is a monster! We are all in grave danger!"

"She will burn the village to the ground!"

"She breathes ice, idiot!"

Hans listened to the arguments outside of the council chamber before he walked inside. He put on his best distraught face and they all turned to him.

"Princess Anna is dead."

The dignitaries in the room all look horrified.

"What? No..."

Hans pretended to stumble, weak with grief. They helped him into a chair.

"She was killed by Queen Elsa," he mumbled, really putting it on. "At least we got to say our marriage vows...before she died in my arms."

The Duke nodded his head with determination. "There can be no doubt now; Queen Elsa is a monster and we are all in grave danger."

A Spanish dignitary looked at Hans gravely. "Prince Hans, Arendelle looks to you now."

Hans nodded, putting on the greatest show he'd ever done in his life. Internally, he was thrilled by how well his plan was unfolding.

"With a heavy heart, I charge Queen Elsa of Arendelle with treason and sentence her to death."

Inside Elsa's dungeon, she was attempting to pull her arms free from the tight shackles. She pursed her lips and groaned out with effort.

If only she could transform...

Elsa closed her eyes and focused with all her might.

_"Elsa, move quickly. They're coming to kill you."_

"I'm trying!" she growled. "Can't you see I'm trying?"

_"They only hold because you believe they do. Come now, Elsa. Are you going to let these small-minded worms kill you? Show them the true glory of the dragon!"_

Elsa focused with much effort before shifting her face into her dragon form. She snarled and bit down on her own wrist, just as she could hear the sound of footsteps approaching.

Hans and the guards made their way to Elsa's dungeon.

"She's dangerous. Move quickly and with resolve." Hans ordered.

Suddenly, there was a loud explosion that rocked them nearly off of their feet. They stared at each other only for a second and the guard quickly unlocked the door.

Once they pushed their way inside, they noticed that the wall toward the back that had been open and blood-soaked shackles lay in a heap.

In the distance, they could barely make out the sight of Elsa flying away.


	9. Nine

~O~

**Nine**

Kristoff and Sven made their way back toward the mountain. Night was beginning to fall. The entire time, Kristoff hadn't spoken a word and Sven occasionally glanced at him.

The reindeer let out a loud grunt.

"No, Sven, we're not going back," Kristoff snapped, glaring at him. "She's with her true love, remember? She's happier there..."

Sven rolled his eyes.

In the distance, there was a loud roar and Kristoff looked toward the kingdom. He could faintly make out the sight of Elsa flying overhead.

Something was wrong.

"Sven. We need to go back."

Sven huffed in relief. Well it was about time.

Meanwhile, back at the castle, the Duke was gathering up weapons for every guard he could find; swords sharp enough that he believed would cut Elsa down.

Hans frowned at him. "It won't be enough." Then, he smiled and felt for the scroll in his pocket. "But I think I have something that might."

While they discussed their plans, Anna was shivering by the door, dizzy from her pain. She had no idea that Elsa's Venom could hurt this badly. She looked down weakly at the scar on her arm and began to put two-and-two together. A sad smile lit her lips.

"Oh Elsa..."

It made sense why Elsa had turned her back on her all these years. The scar had not been a birthmark after all. She must have harmed her sometime ago and regretted it ever since.

The handle of the door suddenly jiggled. Stopped. Jiggled again.

Anna looked up weakly. "Help..." she pleaded, unable to bring her voice above a whisper.

There was a click and the door swung open. Anna could barely make out a piece of bone stuck in the lock and see Olaf waddling inside.

"Whew! I held my breath longer than I thought I could!" he exclaimed.

He noticed Anna and gasped, rushing to her. "Anna! Oh no!"

Anna winced as he helped her into a sitting position.

"So where's Hans?" he asked, worriedly. He noticed the green sickness had gotten worse. "What happened to your kiss?"

Anna looked away, almost at tears. "I was wrong about him," she murmured, her voice shaking. "It wasn't true love after all." She sighed weakly. "I was wrong about everything and now...they're going to kill my sister and it's all my fault."

Olaf nodded his head. "Well, we need to find some act of true love to save you then."

He stubbornly sat down behind her and made a thinking sound.

"Any ideas?"

Anna closed her eyes. "I don't even know what love is."

Olaf smiled brightly. "Hey, that's okay!" he told her. "I do!"

She looked at the dragon miserably.

"Love is..." Olaf put a clawed hand on hers. "Well, it's putting someone else's needs before yours. Like...Kristoff did that. He brought you back to Hans and left you forever."

Anna looked surprised. "Kristoff loves me?"

Olaf chuckled, shaking his head. "Wow, you REALLY don't know anything about love at all, do you?"

The sound of a roar pricked up Olaf's ears. He rushed to the window and glanced about before spotting Elsa in the distance, flying erratically.

"Uh, we got a problem here!"

Anna looked worried. "What's wrong?"

"Well, either this glass is fogging up, or we got guards and Prince No-Love marching through the village armed to the teeth with swords and crossbows!"

Anna struggled to stand and approached the window. She noticed that Hans was indeed leading a band of men across the village.

"No..." she whispered.

"Oh! It's Sven and Kristoff coming back!" Olaf suddenly said, excitedly. "Wow, he's really moving fast. Huh... I guess I was wrong. I guess Kristoff doesn't love you enough to leave you behind."

Anna let out a soft moan and held her abdomen. Pain shot through her entire body.

"We need to hurry!" she told him. "I have to get to Kristoff."

Olaf smiled cluelessly. "Why?" Then, his eyes widened and he grinned. "Oh! Oh, I know why!" He began to dance around happily. "There's your act of true love, right there! Riding across the fjords like a valiant, pungent reindeer king!"

He took Anna's hand and opened the window.

"Olaf, what are you - " Anna began.

"Hold on!" he said.

He placed her arms around him and they jumped out of the window, Anna screaming the entire time. His tiny wings flapped wildly and he grunted, attempting to land safely before falling into a pile of hay. Olaf poked his head up with a grin.

"See? That wasn't so bad," he told her. "Was it?"

Anna merely groaned.

O

A black, tipped arrow was placed into a crossbow.

The Duke studied it with intrigue.

"What is that?"

Hans smiled as he held the crossbow. "There were some legends that believed the only way to slay a dragon was to properly pierce its chest as its scales were far too tough to cut through with normal weapons. So this arrow had been made by her father."

The Duke frowned thoughtfully. "What is it made of?"

"Dragonbone laced with her venom." Hans answered. "A true dragon can only be slain by its own magic in its beastly form. I can imagine her father went though great lengths to protect his kingdom from...possibilities."

"The entire family is insane." the Duke muttered.

"Insane or not, it falls to me to save us all." Hans answered calmly. "I need someone who can take the shot while I draw her out."

"That's crazy!" the Duke exclaimed. "She'll kill you!"

Hans smiled. "We'll see."

Meanwhile, Elsa was making her way through the fjords when Hans' voice shouted for her. She looked down and flew lower, staring at the man.

"Elsa!" he shouted. "You can't run from this!"

Elsa shook her head, flapping her wings.

_"Just...take care of my sister!" _she pleaded.

Hans put on the most convincing despair he could. "Your sister?" he exclaimed. "She returned from the mountain...poisoned and weak. She said you poisoned her with your venom!"

Elsa's features filled with horror. _"What? No...!"_

"I tried to save her, but it was too late!" Hans was really laying it on thick. "The venom had reached her heart. She was delirious from the pain!"

Elsa's features twisted in despair when she realized what she had done.

"Your sister is dead... because of you."

Elsa shook her head, anguish in her sounds. Suddenly, she couldn't find the strength to fly anymore and dropped to the ground. The sounds she made were almost musical, had they not been filled with grief.

Not too far away, Kristoff was already making his way to the castle when he saw Elsa and Hans nearby. He couldn't see any signs of Anna.

She was gradually making her way down the streets, barely able to move without Olaf's help. They could see Kristoff on the other side of the water. So close...and yet so far.

"We can do it, Anna!" Olaf encouraged. "Not far now!"

Anna looked over and noticed one of the Duke's men positioned with a crossbow, aimed right for Elsa. Her eyes went to Kristoff, who was running around the water to reach her and to her sister. She didn't seem to see the man aiming for her heart.

Or maybe she did and no longer cared...

"Kristoff..." Anna whispered, barely even able to speak.

She looked to the man; his finger was close to squeezing the trigger...

Anna found the last ounce of strength she had and ran toward him, screaming out "NO" and jumping in the direct path of the weapon.

The arrow embedded itself into her shoulder and she shoved her body against him. Startled, he drew out a sword, but Olaf jumped and grabbed it, running off with the weapon while the Duke's man pursued him.

Elsa had heard the shout and looked up, shocked to see her sister standing there with an arrow embedded in her shoulder. Her eyes widened in horror and disbelief.

Anna stared down at the arrow for a moment, as if she couldn't believe what had just happened before looking at Elsa, meeting her eyes. A weak smile lit her lips before she collapsed to the ground.

_"ANNA!" _Elsa screamed, transforming and rushing to her sister's side.

The Dignitaries watching could only stare in shock and disbelief. They turned to Hans and the man scowled furiously. This wasn't how it was supposed to happen!

Elsa lifted her sister into her arms and Anna seemed to stare through her, delirious from the pain. Elsa stared down at the arrow, her hands shaking.

"Anna, no..." she moaned, "Please no..."

Anna blinked weakly, smiling. "Elsa...?"

Elsa looked down at her, pressing a hand into her sister's wound. Once again, she found her hands soaked in Anna's blood. "No, no, don't talk!" she was trying to control her voice, though failing. "W-We'll get..."

"Elsa...the sky is awake..." Anna blinked slowly now, staring up at the Northern Lights.

"Anna?" Elsa wasn't sure that her sister was with her anymore.

Anna's eyes fluttered and Elsa shook her.

"Anna, stay with me, please!" she pleaded. "Please!"

But her sister's eyes were closing, despite Elsa's tearful pleas. When Anna stopped moving, she held her sister close and sobbed, swaying back and forth.

Behind her, Hans approached with his sword drawn and raised it over her head, ready to deliver the final blow while Elsa was weak with despair.

_"He's behind you, Elsa."_

_I don't care anymore..._

Just as Hans nearly brought the sword down on her head, Kristoff stepped into the fray and grabbed him by his collar, punching the man hard in the face. Hans went down with a groan.

Olaf walked up to the scene, watching in confused shock as Anna refused to move.

"Anna?" he said.

Kristoff watched this in shocked despair and Sven stepped up to his side. Citizens and dignitaries could only observe from the distance in somber silence as well.

But then, the green, sickly web on Anna's arm began to fade. Her fingers twitched.

Olaf looked up and smiled, gasping in amazement.

Anna's entire body began to lose the horrid, green web of poison and even the arrow began to disintegrate. Kristoff and Sven noticed this and lit up. Elsa felt Anna's arm tighten on her and she looked startled.

"Wha-?" she began. She grinned down at her. "Anna?"

Anna blinked slowly, mumbling before smiling up at her sister.

"Hi..." she mumbled.

Elsa laughed tearfully and held her close. Anna returned the embrace before wincing a little.

"Elsa...still sore here..." she muttered.

Elsa parted and looked at her with wonder. "You sacrificed yourself for me?"

Anna smiled at her. "I love you."

Olaf grinned and danced in a happy circle. "An act of true love! That was it!" he cried, "All along, the act of true love was for you sister!"

Elsa rose and helped Anna stand.

They both looked over at the soft groaning sound from Hans. Kristoff scowled and started toward him, itching for a fight even as the man was slowly regaining consciousness, but Anna smiled and held out a hand.

"Ah, ah, ah." she said. "I've got this."

Hans winced and rose, holding his jaw. When he saw Anna approach, he looked confused.

"Anna, she poisoned you."

"The only one poisoned here is you." Anna snapped.

She turned away, but turned back and punched him square in the face. The action earned the applause from the crowd and dignitaries around them.

Kristoff smiled triumphantly at the sight. "That's my girl." he said, sidelong to Sven.


	10. Ten

~O~

**Ten**

It was quite a beautiful day today.

The Duke and his men were being forced back onto their ship, along with Hans. A french dignitary assured kai that his brothers would take great pleasure in "correcting" him from what he had done. The Duke attempted to demand to see the queen, but Kai smugly rebuked his offer.

Hans sat alone in his cell on the ship, holding himself.

"This isn't over..." he whispered.

The gates to the castle were wide open. In the courtyard, Elsa smiled down at two young children.

"Are you ready?" she asked.

They excitedly nodded. Elsa smiled and transformed, lowering her neck and allowing them to climb on. She spread her wings and took flight with the children happily cheering. Anna and Kristoff watched this from below.

"So, I guess I can't convince her otherwise about the new sled, huh?" he said.

Anna smiled and waved into the air. "Nope. Queen's orders." she told him, winking.

Elsa landed and allowed the children to climb off before noticing Anna. A smirk lit her dragon face and she swooped in, nudging her sister onto her neck.

Anna shook her head. "Elsa, wait. No."

Elsa took to the skies with Anna shrieking the entire time. Elsa smiled back at her sister while they flew higher into the clouds.

Once the initial fright was over, Anna looked around at the white, fluffy clouds. It was a beautiful sight.

"Elsa..." she sighed.

The dragon glanced back at her.

"I like the open gates." Anna said.

Elsa chuckled. _"We're never closing them again."_

They flew back toward the castle and Anna leaned forward, closer to Elsa's ear. "Mama and papa would be proud of you."

Elsa's smile disappeared.

O

It was the first time she'd slept so well.

While Elsa slept in her bed that night, a few voices filled the air.

"So should I wait or just walk up to her?"

"Maybe wait. She's been through a lot."

"He doesn't know that meaning."

"No one asked you, kangaroo."

"Oh, we're going to start that again?"

"Both of you, stop this fighting. Let Elsa have some time to rest. All things need their rest, dragon or not. You can talk to her when the time's right."

"Right..."

"Is she dreaming?"

The sight of golden sand swirled around Elsa's head and she did appear to be smiling happily in her sleep. The sand displayed an image of her childhood as she played with Anna.

"Now that's a nice dream."

"That it is."

O

_Note_ - For the curious, this is going to continue on for a little longer. I may introduce my crossover guest shortly as well. ;) That is...unless you haven't already figured that out. LOL.


	11. Eleven

~O~

**Eleven**

_Three months later_

It wasn't even dawn yet.

And it was snowing.

Anna grinned widely at the sight and climbed to her feet, rushing from her bed to Elsa's room. Her sister was sound asleep, but she moved over and shook her anyway.

"Elsa, wake up!" she whispered.

Elsa mumbled sleepily. "Anna...what is it?"

"It's snowing."

"Yes?"

Anna leaned forward, grinning down at her. "Do you want to go outside...?" she played. "And...maybe build a snowman?"

Elsa laughed a little, rather sleepily. "Anna...it's not even dawn."

"Come on, Elsa!"

She tugged her sister to get up and they walked out into the courtyard. Elsa yawned a little and didn't notice her sister scooping up a handful of snow and rolling it into a ball.

"Anna, don't you think we're getting a little old for this?" Elsa muttered.

Anna smiled happily. "Nope!"

She popped Elsa in the face with the snowball and her sister grinned, scooping a snowball up and tossing it at Anna. They laughed, tossing snow at each other in the courtyard while Olaf observed the sight from a balcony, smiling and letting out a sigh.

"Now that is a nice sight."

A bird landed on his head and he glanced up at it before smiling.

"Don't you have a lunch date with Kristoff today?" Elsa asked her sister.

Anna smirked at her. "Don't you have queenly things to do today?"

Elsa laughed and flung a snowball at Anna, who jumped to one side with a delighted yelp. She rushed her sister, who transformed into her dragon form and Anna collided with her thick hide. She tried to push Elsa, but to no avail and slid on the snow, falling flat on her face.

"Okay, you win." Anna mumbled, under the snow.

Elsa lifted one wing and stretched before rumbling with amusement. _"Get dressed, Anna." _she told her, turning and shifting back to human form.

"I got snow in my nightdress."

Elsa shook her foot a little as they walked back inside.

She had snow in her slippers.

O

Elsa studied herself in the mirror.

She moved her left eyebrow up once.

She bared her teeth, clicked them together before they became as sharp as her dragon form's. Then, her eyes widened and she grimaced. She shook her head, a little disturbed by that sight and her teeth resumed their human shape.

"Okay, no dragon teeth in the mirror." she told herself.

Anna suddenly burst into her room, breathless and frantic.

"Elsa, I have a BIG PROBLEM!" she cried.

"So do I." Elsa told her, sternly. "I told you to knock. What if I hadn't been decent?"

Anna sighed and shook her head, impatiently. "You don't have anything I don't, sister." She caught Elsa's odd look and rolled her eyes. "You KNOW what I mean. Anyway, I have a big problem!"

"What is this problem?" Elsa asked, starting to brush her hair.

"I have NOTHING TO WEAR!" Anna cried, as if it was the worst situation in the world. She collapsed onto Elsa's bed with a despairing moan.

Elsa sighed. "Anna, what are you talking about?" she said, "You have a million dresses and boots. And gloves. And ribbons." She frowned back at her. "Wait, why are we having this discussion?"

"Elsa, I'm going on my very first lunch date." Anna said, as if her sister should have known that. "It has to go perfectly! I need to look my best! May I borrow something of yours?"

Elsa sighed and gestured behind her. "All right. Just...please don't make a mess."

Well, Anna did indeed make a mess as she rummaged through her sister's wardrobe. A shoe sailed near Elsa and she ducked to one side, rolling her eyes with a murmur.

Anna hopped on one leg, trying to fit a shoe on while she rushed from the room. "I'm going to be late! I'll clean the mess later, I promise!"

Elsa continued combing her air.

Oh, that sister...

A soft rattling sound made Elsa tense where she sat. She glanced toward her balcony doors and frowned suspiciously before standing.

Her hands shifted into dragon claws...

Elsa parted the curtains a bit before forcing the door open, staring out into the empty balcony. Frowning, she looked around before closing the door.

Her nostrils picked up an unusual scent.

Her eyes flashed from blue to yellow.

Something was here.

But no sooner had it arrived, the scent disappeared as well as the feeling of being observed. Elsa stood there for a moment, considering that it must have been her paranoia before shrugging it off and resuming brushing her hair.

Outside on her balcony, ice formed and became the shape of a rose.

O

That afternoon, Elsa stood still for her portrait. The painter continued to offer her suggestions of where to stand, how to look.

Anna burst into the room. "Ah! That was the best lunch date I could have had!"

Elsa smiled and glanced away from her still position. "Anna, it was the ONLY date you've ever had."

"Your Majesty, hold still please." the painter said.

"Yes, sorry." Elsa resumed her position.

Anna took a spot on the couch nearby and smiled up at the ceiling. "Kristoff's had some deliveries to make and he won't be back until tomorrow. He's been really good at making ice sculptures lately."

"I'm happy to see he's found something for the two of you."

Anna smiled at her. "Maybe you will too."

"Me? No, I don't think so."

Anna stretched along the couch and leaned over the arm rest. "Come on, Elsa." she encouraged. "There's someone out there for everyone!"

Elsa sighed and glanced upwards before noticing the bored state of her sister. A smile lit her lips and she looked back at her.

"Anna, why don't I cancel my schedule for today and we can...just have some fun?"

Anna brightened. "Really? You're not too busy?"

Lately, her sister had been, but that was expected of a queen.

Just then, Kai entered the room. "Your Majesty, Lady Charlotte has arrived. And I have the Duke of Florence questioning when you want to schedule dinner."

Anna's features fell, but Elsa smiled.

"Send my apologies and cancel everything," she told him. "I'm spending a day with my sister."

Kai smiled and nodded. "Very well, Your Majesty."

"So can we go now?" Anna jumped from her couch.

The painter turned to her. "Once this painting is finished, she can."

Elsa nodded to her sister.

It was quiet in the room for a while before Anna smirked, getting an idea.

"Psst! Elsa!"

Elsa glanced over and noticed that Anna was holding up two of the painter's brushes behind her head, pretending that she had antlers.

"I'm a reindeer!"

Elsa bit her lip, trying not to laugh.

"Your Majesty, please..." the painter seemed to try and respond patiently.

"Sorry." Elsa attempted to maintain stillness.

Anna squished her cheeks together and made silly, squeaking sounds and Elsa completely lost it. She sputtered laughing and the painter sighed, glancing at Anna.

"Very well, Princess Anna," he said, "I see this is going nowhere. The Queen is finished for the day."

Anna grinned happily and took Elsa's hand.

"Come on!"

"Where are we going?"

"I have an idea!"

O

There was a little market where Anna purchased some of the finest chocolate cake Elsa had ever tasted. It was true, her cooks were masters of their craft, but this was just amazing.

They sat together at the edge of the docks, watching several birds passing overhead.

"Didn't I tell you?" Anna said, smiling. "Best cake ever, right?"

Elsa smiled. "Mm, you're right!"

"So...did you always want to be queen?"

Elsa looked at her. "Well, no. With obvious reasons." she told her. "But I had a duty to my people and the kingdom, so that had to come first."

Anna made a thoughtful sound.

"When did you know you were a dragon?" Anna asked.

"I remember our parents telling me that I changed shortly after I was born." Elsa explained, her features filled with deep thought. "They had been scared."

Anna studied her sister, reading the old pain resurfacing on her face.

"I'd learned to fly when I was two years old." Elsa continued, a sad smile lighting her lips now. "I remember that being the happiest day of my life." Her smile disappeared. "Papa had told me it was dangerous. But I think I know what he was really thinking."

"Elsa." Anna placed a comforting hand over her sister's. "It's okay now. That's in the past. You don't have to be afraid anymore, remember?"

Elsa patted her sister's hand. "Yes, you're right. I'm sorry."

Anna smiled now and put her arms around her sister. "You have me. Olaf and - "

Olaf suddenly poked his head into view. "Hi!"

"Olaf, what are you doing?" Elsa asked him.

Olaf plopped his butt onto the ground between them. "Well, I was flying around and then I ran into a soup kitchen. I thought 'well, this looks tasty', but no one apparently likes a dragon swimming in their soup. Big problem."

Elsa laughed and patted the dragon on his head.

"So...what are we talking about?" Olaf asked, smiling from her to Anna.

Elsa glanced at her sister and shook her head. "Nothing."

"Ooh! I can talk about nothing!" Olaf said, eagerly. "Hold on, let me..." He pursed his dragon mouth, looking quite thoughtful. "Uh...one second. It'll come to me."

Elsa and Anna looked at each other before giggling.

Late that evening, Elsa prepared for sleep and she walked out to her balcony, observing the open gates with a smile on her face.

She still couldn't believe that they had stayed open, even after so long of shutting them.

Something sparkled at the corner of her eye.

Elsa glanced over at the frozen rose that had formed and she frowned curiously, studying it as it sparkled in the moonlight.

Where had this come from?

She glanced skyward, tilting her head.

_Who?_


	12. Twelve

~O~

**Twelve**

Elsa awoke in the middle of the night.

She sat up in bed and glanced toward the balcony, barely making out a peculiar sound. It almost resembled the sound of bells, so she walked to the balcony doors and opened them.

She had one hand shifted into dragon claws and whirled, ready to attack a possible assassin - or as she believed such - before noticing another icy rose appear on her balcony. Elsa's hand shifted back to human hands and she approached it, awed by the sudden appearance.

She took it into her hands and looked up, just as something passed by.

"Hello?" Elsa called.

She looked up, shocked to see a young man suddenly appear before her. He was barefoot, wearing common slacks shirt and he had short, white hair. he was also holding a staff in his hands.

And floating.

Elsa glanced down - they were rather high from the ground.

"You can see me?" he asked, looking rather surprised.

Elsa blinked once. Twice.

"Yes?" she said.

"You can hear me?"

"Yes...?"

The young man grinned and a burst of snow came falling down from the skies. He seemed absolutely delighted by this fact.

"What are you?" Elsa asked.

He drifted onto her balcony, landing with quite a bit of grace in his steps. Elsa backed away a little - after all, she wasn't accustomed to witnessing people who could fly. She was still learning how to do so herself.

"Well, they have a lot of names for me, but you can call me Jack." he told her, smiling.

Well, he certainly had an air of cockiness about him, Elsa mused. But there was a charming way that he smiled, showing off unnaturally perfect teeth.

"Hm. Jack." Elsa pondered the name. "Anything else?"

"Jack Frost."

Elsa blinked again. A smile lit her lips. "Jack Frost... As in, the same from my stories?"

Jack crouched on the balcony like a gargoyle and laughed, waving that off. "I think those stories stretch a little on the details," he told her, "But yeah, I'm _the _Jack Frost. Fun times, winter..."

"Winter." Elsa smiled a little. "So that snow...was you?"

Jack chuckled. "Yeah. I thought a little snow might spice things up between you and your sister."

Elsa's smile disappeared. "You've been watching us?"

"I might have."

Elsa thought about this. Why would _the _Jack Frost from her story books be watching them? Then again, why did he show up at her balcony in the middle of the night?

"Why?" she asked.

Jack shifted a little before standing. "Well, I thought you might want someone to do something nice for you for a change." he offered. "Besides, all that talk about you being a monster and everything. I've seen that side. It's pretty...well, pretty cool."

Elsa blinked a little before smiling. She'd never been compared to such a word before. She had a feeling that it was new to him as well.

"Thank you." she said.

Jack glanced up toward the moon before looking back at her. There was a peculiar light in his eyes that Elsa had not seen since she was a child and it was her sister. "I'll see you later." he told her. "I have to go."

Elsa watched as he took to the skies and disappeared faster than she had ever flown. A look of wonder lit her lips and she stared down at the rose she still held in her hands.

"Jack..."

O

The following morning, Elsa couldn't take her mind off of the strange man she had met. She had wandered into the garden, observing the beautiful frost and snow that had covered her flowers.

Should she tell her sister about him? Well, keeping secrets never went smoothly for her, it seemed. But would Anna believe her? Of course she would. Her sister's imagination was rather rampant.

But then again...

"Your Majesty?"

Elsa snapped out of her reverie and glanced up at Kai, who had approached and noticed her thoughtful condition. He was holding a scroll in his hand.

"Yes?" Elsa looked at him.

"The Prime Minister has arrived."

Elsa nodded. "I'll be there shortly."

"Very well."

Kai left her alone to her thoughts.

Elsa could feel the dragon shifting a little, so she decided to stretch her wings a bit to think. She flew around the castle a little, considering what she would do if she met Jack again.

Truth be told, her ability to communicate with others was still tenuous at best.

Elsa's yellow eyes narrowed. She would find out more.

Once she landed and transformed back, she walked back into the castle for her meeting with the Prime Minister. There had to be no distractions today.

O

She still hadn't said a word to Anna about it.

Anna had spent the evening telling her about how Kristoff had planned on building a house in the mountains with the money he had earned from his deliveries. Truth be told, Elsa was happy for them, but she didn't really pay much mind as she had been distracted from her visit from Jack.

"Elsa?" Anna said, "Are you okay?"

Olaf was contentedly chewing on a piece of fish he'd pilfered from the kitchen.

Elsa looked up at her sister with a flicker of warmth. "Oh! I'm fine, Anna. Just thinking."

"About what?"

Anna looked genuinely interested, though Elsa wasn't sure it was a good idea to explain that she met Jack Frost. Really. How would you tell your sibling such a thing?

"Well... I met someone, last night." Elsa began, reluctantly.

Anna grinned. "A man, maybe?"

"...Maybe."

Anna squealed with delight. "Ooh! Do tell, Elsa!" she exclaimed, sitting closer to her sister. "Is he tall? Handsome? Rugged?" She let out a gasp before sighing dramatically. "I bet he has good hair? Does he have good hair? Is it fluffy like Kristoff's?"

Elsa stared at her strangely, leaning back when her sister had drawn close. "Heavens no, Anna. I just spoke with him last night."

"Last night?"

"Yes."

Anna seemed to consider this. "But we were both in bed."

"Anna, I know what you're thinking - "

"Oh, I HAVE to meet him!" Anna squealed, delighted. "When are you speaking again? I have to know everything about him!"

"Anna, I think you're getting a little carried - " Elsa grunted when her sister embraced her.

Oh, but her sister's energy was addictive and she couldn't help but smile. But still, she had no idea if Jack would even show up again. Then again, she wasn't sure if she even saw anything. Maybe it had been a dream anyway. So she voiced this to Anna.

It didn't seem to deter her sister.

"Maybe. Maybe not." Anna said, "If he was real, I have to know who he is. Simple fact."

Elsa murmured. "Well, when he shows again, I will be sure to properly introduce you." she quipped. "But I have other things to do. I need to speak with Olaf."

The little dragon lifted his head with a curious murmur, mouth full of fish.

"I want you to teach me how to master my dragon form."

Olaf smiled cheerfully. "Okay!"

Anna looked surprised. "Really?"

"Yes. I feel that if I'm going to spend my life as Queen of Arendelle, I must learn how to use any means necessary to protect it." Elsa told her, turning. "The people are relying on me, Anna. I must not let them down. There can be no room for fear."

"Can I watch?"

"I don't see why not."

They exited the castle and stepped into the courtyard where Kristoff and Sven were just arriving. Elsa watched them embrace and share a kiss before she turned to the dragon beside her.

"All right, Olaf." she said. "Teach me what you know."

Kristoff leaned to Anna. "What's going on?"

"Dragon lessons." Anna whispered.

"Ah. Got it."

Olaf put on the best professional stance he could. "Okay! First thing's first!" he coached. "Take on your dragon form, Your Majesty!"

Elsa did just that, transforming into her dragon shape with ease.

"You've mastered what it means to take on the shape!" Olaf said, smiling happily and clapping. "But that's only a tiny bit of what it means to be a dragon!"

Elsa stared down at him curiously, lifting her wing when he waddled beneath her. _"Okay...?" _she wasn't sure what he was getting at, but attentively listened nonetheless.

"See, dragons are very strong," Olaf continued. "But it's like my mama used to tell me: 'True strength is having it, but knowing when never to use it'."

Elsa tilted her head with a soft rumble. That made sense.

"Okay! Let's start small." Olaf said, smiling. "camouflage!" He spread his arms to demonstrate. "All dragons can become invisible! When we need to get out of a bad situation, we disappear. Let's see if you can do it too."

Elsa frowned. _"How do I do that?"_

"Do what I do," Olaf told her. "Hold your breath and focus!"

Kristoff smirked. "This should be good."

Elsa nodded her head, determined. _"Okay..." _she said, taking a breath.

She held her breath and squeezed her eyes shut, but she wasn't invisible. _"Did I do it?" _she asked, without opening her eyes. _"Am I invisible?"_

Olaf smiled sheepishly. "Uh, not exactly."

Elsa opened her eyes with a sigh of exasperation.

"Maybe you have a lot on your mind?" Anna teased, grinning over at her sister.

Elsa looked at her with mild annoyance and huffed through her nostrils.

"I have that same problem." Olaf said.

"Imagine that..." Kristoff quipped.

Olaf didn't pay him any mind and smiled up at Elsa. "Okay, we can work on that later." he told her. "Let's try working on claws."

Elsa stared down at her talons curiously. _"What about them?_"

"Well, I wonder if you know that only females produce venom, right?" Olaf said. "Well, you can learn to never use it."

That seemed like the best thing she'd heard all day.

_"How?" _she asked.

Olaf started to speak, but he looked beyond her and smiled, spotting Jack perched on the balcony, watching the sight of them.

"Oh, hey!" he said, waving. "Hi! I'm Olaf, and I like warm hugs!"

Jack glanced around before smiling a little. He waved two fingers at the tiny dragon. Kristoff didn't see anything and frowned.

"What's the little guy waving at?" he asked.

Anna glanced up toward the balcony and saw Jack as well. She frowned at Kristoff before smiling a little and waving at the man.

Oh, so THIS was him.

O

Jack visited Elsa again in the garden.

She watched as he hopped on each pillar, balancing himself with ease. He talked about her dragon "training" with Olaf that went most of the day.

"I think you're thinking too hard about things." Jack told her. "Just let loose and be who you are."

Elsa tilted her head at him. "What do you think I am?"

"Whatever you want to be." Jack explained, smiling at her. "It doesn't matter what anyone else thinks. Just be yourself and it will all work itself out." He took a spot on a stone wall and leaned back. "Trust me, I had to learn all about that the hard way."

Elsa thought about this. Truthfully, she still had her doubts - old habits were hard to break, after all - but she was working on feeling much better about who and what she was.

A dragon.

"Hey, Elsa!"

Elsa and Jack turned, seeing Anna approach with Kristoff. She looked right at Jack and smiled. Kristoff, however, didn't see anyone else.

"Jack Frost, huh?" Anna laughed.

Jack brightened. "You can see me too?"

"It's my sister, Jack." Elsa explained, with a laugh. "No further explanation needed."

Kristoff frowned down at Anna. "Who are you guys talking to?" he asked.

Anna seemed confused. "Wha - You don't see Jack Frost sitting there?"

"Uh...what?"

Jack glanced at Elsa. "He doesn't believe in me." he explained. "I can't be seen by the unbelievers. It's...kind of a rule in my world."

Kristoff laughed. "I stopped believing in Jack Frost when I was two." he told them.

Jack winced with a laugh. "Ouch."

"Are you two just trying to play a joke on me?" Kristoff asked, skeptically.

Anna and Elsa looked at each other before nodding. It was best to not convince Kristoff to see anything if he didn't believe.

"You caught us." Anna told him.

He smiled triumphantly. "That was a bad joke, you know."

Anna waved her hand in the air. "Yeah, I know. I got a lot of them."

She ushered Kristoff away and looked back at Elsa, mouthing "I'll talk to you later", while she led him away to leave the two alone.

Elsa looked at Jack and they awkwardly laughed together.

"So..." Jack began, rubbing the back of his head.

Elsa cleared her throat.

"How about a fly?" Elsa asked.

Jack smirked. "You're on."

Elsa transformed and smirked down at Jack before taking to the skies. Jack grinned and followed behind her. She was far ahead of him before he met up, drifting side-by-side with her.

Elsa glanced at him and he caught her look before grinning and blasting ahead of her.

The dragon blinked, surprised before she huffed a laugh and flapped her wings harder, keeping pace with the drifting man. Jack just laughed, delighted with the game of "chase". It had been a long time since someone was able to keep up with him. Even the rabbit never posed a challenge.

Elsa was having fun. She laughed out and performed a spin in the air around Jack.

"Showboating, eh?" Jack said, "Two can play at that game."

He spun through the air, his staff glowing with blue light before unleashing a spray of ice. As he spun, it billowed around him and exploded in a shower of glittering flakes. Elsa watched the sight with amazement, hovering there as the ice shimmered down upon her.

Jack casually drifted in midair, twirling his staff with a cocky smirk.

Elsa couldn't help her laugh.

What a strange, yet charming man he was.


	13. Thirteen

~O~

**Thirteen**

Jack hadn't arrived that morning, so Elsa spent the day continuing dragon training with Olaf. He told her there was a historical wall outside of Arendelle where dragons recorded knowledge. Anna and Kristoff wanted to go, so Elsa carried all three to the location in question.

"Learning to be a dragon starts with history!" Olaf announced.

Elsa glanced back at him. _"I thought it was transforming."_

"Well, that too, but history is also number one."

_"I see."_

Anna seemed excited, kicking out her legs. "This is great!" she said. "We get to see the stories about dragons up close and personal!"

Elsa started to descend. _"Anna. The ribs." _she reminded her.

"Sorry!"

Elsa landed at a cave's entrance and everyone climbed off. She transformed back to her human form and they entered with Olaf leading the way.

It was dark within the cave, so Olaf managed to ignite a stick with the use of his breath. All along the walls, there were carvings of dragons and man. Some showed battle scenes where man had slain them. Elsa was a bit disturbed by the grizzly sight.

"Olaf, what happened when dragons still lived?" she asked.

"Oh. There was a battle between humans and dragons. I can't remember what it was for." he said. "Dragons never fight each other, so it was new for us. I was just a hatchling when it happened."

Elsa looked at her sister briefly, catching Anna's look. She seemed just as disturbed by the sight of slaughtered dragons and took her sister's hand in hers.

"Dragons had to hide after that," Olaf explained, letting out a sad sound. "My mother told me to hide and I've done it ever since."

Elsa bent down, placing her arms around the dragon. "No more hiding."

Olaf smiled, though his eyes still carried a sadness to them. Yes, even he could be sad.

"I know."

Anna placed her arms around them before she grabbed Kristoff to join in. Elsa glanced up at the carvings grimly before closing her eyes.

_Dragons never fight each other..._

Those words echoed in Elsa's mind. Something about them carried a peculiar promise. She didn't know what that was, but decided not to think further on it.

Jack had been watching the sight.

He didn't know what to think of it.

O

"So what happened to your mother?"

Elsa had carefully asked Olaf this question when she returned to the castle.

"She became the sky."

Elsa still wasn't sure how that worked, exactly. She asked Olaf about it, and he explained that everything returned to nature, no matter what it was. That dragons believed all things were united. It was an interesting way of seeing things. Elsa wasn't sure if she believed that entirely, but it could be true for all she knew.

"So whenever I look up, I just wave at her." Olaf said, smiling up at the clouds. "I don't know if she waves back, but that's okay."

Elsa stared down at him sympathetically.

She had a lot to think about during her next meeting.

It was to discuss trade relations and she could see Jack floating outside the window. He waved at her and she smiled when she saw him.

Jack turned away for a moment before creating a layer of ice on the window. he began writing something in it and Elsa couldn't help but smile wider once he was finished. He had written, "WANT ME TO FREEZE THEM FOR YOU?" in the ice.

Elsa couldn't resist her mild giggle, which she covered with one hand.

"Your Majesty..."

Elsa turned her attention to the meeting and Jack merely chuckled, drifting away from the window. He would wait for her if he had to.

There was a little chirp and he looked down, seeing Baby Tooth flutter around his head. He smiled at her and looked back at Elsa.

Baby Tooth chirped and Jack let out a soft laugh.

"Hey, I have a chance." he told the small fairy. "You think?"

The fairy smiled and nodded.

"Good. Hated to think I was the only one."

Baby Tooth let out an amused chitter.

After her meeting, Elsa returned to her bedroom, only to find Jack leaning casually on the balcony. She chuckled when she saw him.

"You looked bored out of your mind," he said.

Elsa shook her head, though she still smiled. "A queen has her duties."

"So does a Guardian," Jack told her, with a shrug, "But we can have fun every now and again, am I right?"

Elsa looked at him curiously. "A Guardian?"

Jack went on to explain it to her, with a series of demonstrations with ice and magic. Elsa had watched the entire time with rapt attention, delighted with his "job". Protecting children from the darkness and fear seemed more than wonderful.

Baby Tooth fluttered around Elsa and the queen studied the tiny creature with surprise.

"Baby Tooth, come on..." Jack said, laughing.

Elsa laughed at the tiny creature, reaching out so that she landed in her hands. "I see you've brought a little friend," she said.

"Baby Tooth likes to follow me around," Jack replied, "Hm. Looks like she's taken a liking to you."

Baby Tooth took a spot on Elsa's shoulder and chittered, pleased with herself. Elsa stared down at the tiny fairy before laughing.

"So..." Jack began, twirling his staff.

"So..." Elsa mirrored, glancing around.

Baby Tooth looked from her to Jack and rolled her eyes before she grabbed Elsa's sleeve, tugging her toward Jack. The tiny fairy took Elsa's hand and Jack's before putting them together. She smiled then, triumphant in her approach.

Jack stared down at their hands before looking up at Elsa, mildly embarrassed. She seemed just as so.

"Huh..." he said. "Look at that."

Elsa blushed a little. She couldn't help it. "What?"

"We're the same temperature."

Elsa knew that as a dragon, her skin was always a little colder than most.

She suddenly felt shy from the contact and pulled her hand away slowly. Jack sensed the error as well and chuckled sheepishly.

"I have to sleep now, Jack." she told him.

"Ah! Right. I'll let you get to it, then." Jack stood up, swinging his staff back and forth. "I'll take off."

Elsa smiled and turned to her mirror, slowly starting to undo her braid. Her long hair spilled out in lovely blonde ribbons across her shoulders and Jack couldn't help but blush a little.

Elsa sensed his eyes still on her and she arched a brow.

"Oh! Leaving. I'm leaving." he said, quickly taking flight.

When he was high and out of sight, he groaned and rolled his eyes.

"Smooth..."

Elsa started to brush out her hair before she glanced back and chuckled.

O

Hans had lost track of the days.

In the time that he had spent home, his brothers had made it their sole duty to remind him of his failures and his "embarrassing the country". According to them, the reputation of the Southern Isles had been completely tarnished. Perhaps that was true.

His mother had reminded him of his failures every waking second. As queen, she had an image to maintain and he had ruined that all in one act of desperation for the throne.

At least, that was how she had put it, anyway.

He walked in the rain toward the tavern, hooded and cloaked. The tavern keeper asked no questions and offered him a drink when he requested it. Hans took a seat alone near a window, away from others and glanced toward the door when another cloaked figure approached.

"I hope you have a good reason for calling for me." It was the Duke of Weselton, shaking the rain from his body.

Hans nodded gravely, keeping his head lowered.

"I assume everything I wrote in the letter was clear." he said.

The Duke leaned forward a little, frowning. "What happened to your face?"

Hans reached up, concealing the bruised cheek. His brothers hadn't let up...

"Don't worry about that." Hans told him, flatly.

"So...what did you have in mind?" the Duke questioned.

Hans leaned forward before removing a rolled-up scroll from his sleeve. He opened it up and displayed it for the Duke to see.

The image was of old Nordic runes and pictures that revealed three frightening shapes cloaked in black. The Duke blinked once. Twice. Then, he stared up at Hans in worry.

"The Witches of the North?" he gasped.

Hans nodded his head gravely. "You've heard of them."

"I've heard stories." the Duke said, concern touching his aged features. "They cannot be trusted, Prince Hans. They entice men with their greatest wishes, but always have some sort of consequence behind it. You CAN'T be thinking of going to them!"

"I am." Hans said. "And if you're with me, we can have the revenge we rightfully deserve."

"Do you know what you're suggesting?" The Duke couldn't believe his ears. "An act like this would break into war!"

Hans glared coldly at him and removed his hood, revealing the hideous bruises on his face.

"So be it."


	14. Fourteen

~O~

**Fourteen**

Hans made his way up the unsettling hills with the Duke not far behind. Their horses seemed nervous, but Hans was not. He would meet them at any cost.

The trees seemed dead and twisted as they made their way closer to the Witches. Hans could see a glow through the trees and they arrived in a clearing.

There stood the ruin of a tower; decrepit, snared in vines and several crows had perched alongside its walls. There was also a fire lit in the center of the clearing with animal skins hanging from wooden racks. The Duke shuddered at the sight, but Hans did not.

He would not waver now.

He dismounted from his horse and approached the fire. For a moment, he was silent before he stared up at the tower with determination.

"I've come to speak with the Witches of the North!" he announced.

There was a dry, collection of laughs from the tower and three, small shapes emerged. They were dressed in tattered rags and animal hides. Each set of rags bore a different shade of red. Their faces were wrinkled and haggard and one seemed to be missing an eye. Another looked as though she was blind.

"Prince Hans of the South." one of the Witches hissed, chuckling.

"I can't see." the blind Witch said, looking around. "Is he as cute as they say?"

"Hilda, behave." the first Witch who had spoken chided. "Don't shame the uniform."

Hans studied each one of them, uncertain about how he should approach. They seemed harmless enough, but he knew of their great sorcery. So he would have to approach them with more respect than he was inclined to do with anyone else as a prince.

"Ladies, I was told you grant requests to those who sought them." Hans said.

The Witches let out a collection of chuckles.

"Ah yes, you have heard correctly." the one-eyed Witch purred. "All come to us... Men, women, prince and princess alike."

"Indeed." the blind Witch added. She smirked a little and gathered burning embers from the fire, not once shouting out in pain. "What is it you've come for, Prince Hans?"

"I want the power to match Queen Elsa of Arendelle."

The Duke looked up at him curiously.

The three Witches looked at him with a collection of laughter once more.

"We know of the Dragon Queen." the one-eyed Witch purred. She began to move her hands in the fire as well. An image of Elsa appeared in the flames, the form of her dragon. "Born with the power of the mighty Serpents of Old. No man can match her...presently."

"Yes, clearly." Hans rolled his eyes.

The first Witch smirked up at him. "Then we shall grant you that same power."

Hans brightened, but the Duke looked worried.

"Are you mad, Prince Hans?" he exclaimed. "There has to be some form of consequence for such power! You can't consider their - "

"Done." Hans said, ignoring the Duke's words.

"What?" the Duke exclaimed.

The three Witches laughed with delight.

"Excellent." the blind Witch said. "Now hold still, handsome. This might pinch a little."

The three raised their hands and unleashed a blast of red magic at Hans. The Duke ducked out of the way as it struck Hans' heart. The prince staggered back with a cry of pain, holding his chest. The agony faded just as quickly as it had come and he stared down before frowning at them.

"Nothing happened." he protested. "I don't feel any different."

They giggled and looked at each other.

"You will soon." the blind Witch promised.

Hans seemed doubtful, but looked down at his belt and removed a bag of gold. But the first Witch held up a hand to stop him.

"We normally don't accept payment until you are successful." she told him.

Hans stared at her suspiciously. "What do you mean?"

"Well, when you succeed, we will expect payment." the one-eyed Witch explained. "If you fail...well..." She smirked at her sisters. "You don't want to fail. Trust me."

Hans nodded his head coldly. "I won't."

"Good. Your confidence is quite reassuring to us," the first Witch laughed. "Go and complete your plan and when you are victorious, we will know of it. Trust me."

Hans gave them a bow. "I appreciate this. Thank you."

"No. Thank YOU, Prince Hans." the blind Witch purred.

O

Jack and Elsa watched the stars above them from the garden.

"So...the Man in the Moon..." Elsa murmured. "Is he real?"

Jack looked at her. "Yeah. As real as you or me."

"Does he talk to you?"

Jack waved that off. "Ah. He talks when he needs to." he said. "We've all learned to live with that. It's the way things are."

Elsa pondered this information and she looked up at the moon. So...according to Jack, there was a man living inside of it? The idea seemed quite strange to her, but she couldn't argue much on the case given the fact that she was a dragon. So she simply didn't say anything more on the subject. There was surely more to life than she understood.

"So when you turn into a dragon..." Jack began. "Does it feel any different than when you're human?"

Elsa laughed and shook her head before responding. "My sister asked me the same question when we were kids." she replied. "It's just like when you wink, laugh, cry... It's as natural to me as doing any of those things. Nothing changes except my outer appearance. It took Anna to help me understand that."

"You're lucky to have a sister like her."

"I am. I don't think I would be here today if not for her." Elsa looked down and her thoughtful look was replaced with a grim frown. "When Hans tried to kill me."

Jack looked at her gently. "I wouldn't let him do that to you either."

Elsa frowned at him. "Why?"

"Well...if you ask me," Jack said, trying to find the proper words. "Someone as...well...wonderful as you didn't deserve it."

"You don't know me."

"I've been watching you. So...I guess I kinda do."

Elsa didn't respond. She suddenly felt a little uncomfortable being so open about this. After all, Jack may have been magical in his own way as she was, but she still wasn't certain if she could trust him.

Yet she felt curious by his charming ways. Elsa mostly never felt safe around anyone, except for Anna, but Jack seemed different.

Intriguing.

The dragon in her stirred, so she stood up. Jack looked at her curiously and also rose.

"Elsa?"

"I need to show you something, Jack." she said. "Follow me."

Jack frowned, but nodded. "Okay."

Elsa transformed, stretched her wings and took to the skies. Jack followed her, still somewhat confused. Elsa was silent as she continued to fly, searching for something. He was about to ask her what they were doing until Elsa descended into the forest.

She folded her wings and searched around, scenting and pawing the dirt. Jack watched her, silent and mildly concerned until Elsa touched a place in the dirt.

_"Do you see this spot?" _she asked. _"This is where I harmed my sister."_

Jack remembered it quite vividly. He noticed a place in the dirt that had seemed decayed in thin claw marks. It seemed that Dragon's Venom did more than poison people. It poisoned the Earth.

The Old Stories spoke of Dragon's Venom being used as a defense against Man, who sought to enslave and destroy them. It had been a gift to them from the First Dragon and only for the females, who were the Matriarchs of the dragon race.

They had been valued for their power to give life.

"Elsa, that was an accident." Jack insisted. "She's alive because you saved her."

Elsa closed her eyes with a deep rumble. _"It's hard to forget what I almost did." _she told him. _"It's why I wanted Olaf to teach me how to master this form. I never want to hurt anyone else again. I am capable of violence and it's what I am always going to be afraid of for the rest of my life."_

Jack walked up to her and placed a hand against her great side. Elsa stopped breathing momentarily before looking down at him.

"Elsa..." he said, gently. "Sometimes letting go of the past is a part of healing. Anna forgave you. So I think it's time you forgave yourself."

Elsa didn't seem so sure.

She transformed back and looked at him before carefully placing her arms around him. Jack was careful as well; he placed his arms around her.

"Thank you..." she said, quietly. "Sometimes I just need to hear it."

O

Hans studied himself in the mirror with dismay.

"What am I supposed to do?" he snapped. "How does it even work? It it actual power like hers?" His eyes widened with a thoughtful sound and he began to pace around the room. "How? How do I even know?"

Suddenly, the door of his chambers opened and in stepped his oldest brother, Ulfric. he had always been taller than Hans; rugged and strong. He was truly what the Southern Isles should represent. At least, that was how his mother had always said.

"Hans, aren't you coming downstairs?" he asked.

"Why? So I can receive my afternoon beating?"

Ulfric laughed loudly. "Come now. Those are over." he said. "You seemed to have learned your lesson. I've told Galmar and Godric to back away a bit. After all, failure or not; you're still blood to us."

Hans chuckled coldly. "Blood? What an outrageous lie."

"What's that, baby brother?" Ulfric queried, tilting his head.

Hans could feel his throat heating mercilessly, though he was sure it was because of his anger. Those wretched Witches had lied to him. His older brother was attempting to pacify him with lies? The torment would always continue? Was he truly to be punished for wanting to rule for a change?

"There's no need to have things always heating up, brother." Ulfric offered. "Let's come downstairs and have dinner so we have good feelings."

Hans stared down at his hands and noticed smoke billowing from his mouth. His eyes widened and his fingers began to lengthen into long claws. Red scales slowly formed around the edges of his palms. A grin touched his face and he chuckled quietly before straightening.

"You're right, Ulfric." he said. "I think I will go downstairs."

Ulfric smiled and nodded. "Good boy, Hans!" he told him.

"Just one thing before I do..." Hans turned and opened his mouth, letting out a monstrous jet of flames streaming mercilessly toward Ulfric.

The sounds of his screams were completely blocked by the thunderous clap of thunder outside. Hans stared coldly down at the charred remains of his brother before clearing his throat and straightening his collar. He smirked and started walking downstairs.

His family sat at the massive dinner table, all ready to eat. Godric and Galmar were taking turns quarreling over a piece of duck roast. His mother and father sat at their proper places as well as the rest of his siblings.

"Hans." his mother said, in her usual biting tone. "We thought you wouldn't be coming down."

Hans smiled. "I'm here now, mother." he replied, "But I'm sure if I was, you wouldn't have noticed anyway."

His mother's eyebrows formed a thin line. "Excuse me?"

His father rose. "Hans, mind your tongue, boy!"

"Perhaps you should mind yours." Hans hissed.

NOW his father looked angry. He started toward his son, but froze when Hans' eyes flashed yellow and a terrifying growl rose up from his throat.

"What in the name of Odin..." he gasped.

Hans smiled calmly. "Now I tried to do things the right way..." he replied, shrugging. "But I can see I have to do it the way our ancestors did."

"Do what?" Galmar snapped.

Hans smirked and his mouth was filled with razor-sharp fangs now. "Take it by force."

Along the wall, his shadow bent and twisted, terrifying snarls emerging from his mouth. The snarls became powerful roars that became engulfed by the clapping of thunder outside.


	15. Fifteen

~O~

**Fifteen**

"Elsa!"

Elsa murmured at the sound of Olaf's voice. She awoke and found him sitting at the foot of her bed, carrying a tray of food in his small claws.

"I made you breakfast!" he announced, happily.

Elsa blinked, yawned and stretched. "Why?"

"Well, this morning, we were going to go hunting, remember?" he said. "The old-fashioned dragon way!"

Elsa winced and rubbed her head. "Olaf, I told you I can't go hunting."

"Dragons do it all the time." Olaf argued gently, placing the tray on her lap. "It's part of being one. In case you have little dragons of your own, you have to teach them too."

Elsa considered that. "I don't have any intention of - "

"Oh, come on!" Olaf said. "It'll be fun! We'll start of small. Like...a reindeer."

Elsa thought of Sven and shook her head.

"Okay. A wolf?"

She made a face.

"A...hare?"

Elsa looked thoughtful and Olaf smiled, trying to be cheerful about that. "All right then! A hare it is!" he said. "Now eat up!"

She glanced down at the tray of food; it looked peculiar. Most of what he had presented her with seemed raw and rather uncooked.

"What IS this?" she asked.

Olaf pointed to each dish. "Well THIS is fish I caught this morning," he told her. "Some berries fresh picked by me also. Kristoff caught the duck and - "

Elsa grimaced a little. She noticed a small fish louse still latched onto the fish that Olaf had caught. Then, she looked up, internally grimacing at the happy, hopeful look on his face. She really didn't want to hurt the little guy's feelings.

"Olaf, I appreciate the fact that you wanted to make me breakfast," she said. "But I think some muesli and tea would suffice."

Olaf looked at her strangely. "Are you sure you're a dragon?"

The door suddenly opened and Anna rushed inside. "Elsa, I've told the servants you're giving them the day off today. They've all seemed pretty happy about it."

"Good." Elsa slid her feet into her slippers. "Now, Olaf and I will be hunting this afternoon."

Anna smiled and watched as Elsa walked to her desk. "What are you going to be hunting?"

"Hare."

Anna sputtered a laugh and Elsa frowned at her defensively. "What?"

"A hare. Really Elsa?"

Olaf smiled and poked his head up. "We all gotta start somewhere!" he offered. "I hunted hare..." Then he added sheepishly. "When I was four..."

Elsa glared at them. "Okay. I'll show you both!" she snapped. "You can come with me and I'll show you how hard it is!"

Anna smirked. "Make sure you don't jump too much." she teased. "I bet those bunnies can smell fear."

"Okay. Out of my room. Now."

Anna and Olaf left the room, laughing.

O

Anna, Elsa and Olaf watched a large Mountain Hare munching on several stalks of grass. Anna grinned up at her sister, who studied the small animal with a tense grimace.

"Now...scent the air." Olaf encouraged. "You can change parts of you in human form, and use your dragon powers too."

Elsa sniffed the air, taking a deep inhale.

"What IS that?" she asked, in a soft whisper.

Olaf smiled. "Dragons can smell emotions too." he explained. "Like humans, but much more clear. What do you smell right now?"

Elsa frowned thoughtfully. "Uhm...it's rather...soft." she tried to describe it. "Content. Like a happy, peaceful feeling." She chuckled down at Anna. "Must be you."

"I'm happy and content with the idea of seeing you chase a rabbit." Anna teased.

"Now you can use your breath in your human form too." Olaf said, smiling. "Give it a try on that hare." He gestured to the rabbit, who seemed oblivious to what was going on.

Elsa took a deep inhale and tried to expel her ice, but nothing happened. She looked a little confused, but Olaf continued to encourage her.

"That's okay. Try again."

Elsa pursed her lips and tried again. A shot of ice escaped her lips and struck the place beside the hare. The animal gave a terrified squeak and rushed off.

Elsa grinned, delighted. "I did it!"

"Yeah, but the hare ran away." Anna pointed out.

Elsa smiled, rather confident in herself. "I'll be back!" she told her.

"Elsa, wait!" Anna pursued her.

She followed the smell of the hare, moving down a hill before she stopped at a stream. The hare had stopped just on the other side, watching her. Its ears flicked once and Elsa smirked at the animal.

"You know what I'm doing, don't you?" she said.

Anna made her way at her side and let out a small chuckle. "Elsa, come on." she whispered. "Let's head back. I'm starving."

"We can have this hare for lunch when I catch it."

"Elsa, you don't have to prove a point. I was just joking."

Elsa smirked at her before her ears pricked at a snapping twig.

The hare stood up and suddenly bolted. Elsa had definitely heard it too.

The sound of footsteps.

Elsa frowned suspiciously and sniffed the air. The scent that carried with the wind was strange; it felt as though it was masked by the smell of fruit and meat.

"Elsa?" Anna frowned at her with worry. "What is it?"

Something whistled through the air and Elsa heard it coming. She ducked, transformed as an arrow streaked passed her face, inches from slicing the flesh there.

Elsa looked up and bared her fangs with a furious hiss, pursuing the scent as it fled deeper into the forest. It ran quite fast, but not fast enough for her. She spread her wings, opened her lower claws and seized a suddenly squealing shape right from the ground.

"Elsa!" Anna was not far behind.

Elsa swooped down and landed, pinning the shape to the ground again, snarling. Anna rushed up to her, startled by her sister's fury.

"Elsa, wait!" she cried.

Elsa looked back at her. _"He tried to kill you!"_

Anna looked down at the man, scowling. "Who are you?"

"I-I can't tell you!" the man whimpered.

Anna arched her brows. "Really?" she said, putting her hands on her hips. "You have a dragon pinning you and you can't say a single word on why you tried to kill me?"

"Please! I was just following orders!"

Elsa narrowed her eyes down at him. _"Whose orders?" _she demanded.

"I-I can't. Please!" the man looked truly frightened.

Elsa snarled and spread her wings, taking to the skies with him in her claws. Anna had no other choice but watch in shock.

O

The Queen paced back and forth, unable to fathom the current situation.

Jack appeared at her balcony. "Elsa!"

He quickly rushed up to her and without thinking of overstepping his boundaries, he put his arms around her. Elsa didn't even consider anything strange about it and returned the embrace. She was just too shaken by what could have happened.

"I heard what happened." Jack seemed furious, but not at her. "I should have stayed close by! He wouldn't have seen me, but - "

Elsa shook her head, staring at him sadly. "It's not up to you to save me, Jack."

"What? Of COURSE it is! I wouldn't have just stood by and let him kill you!"

Elsa frowned. "I don't think he was trying to kill me."

"What?"

Elsa turned and walked from the room with Jack following beside her. "I think the intended target was my sister," she said.

Jack still wasn't following. "But why your sister?"

"That's what I'm going to find out."

The man had been placed in chains in the dungeon while Kristoff, Anna, Kali and Olaf observed him. Kristoff looked down at Anna.

"I still think he shouldn't get any chance to talk." he snapped.

The man looked at each face, fear in his own. Anna frowned down at him, seeing just how young he truly looked. He was probably fifteen years old. Practically a child.

Elsa and Jack entered the dungeon cell and the man immediately turned away from her, frightened. Elsa frowned at his gesture of fear.

"Who are you?" she asked, struggling to keep the dragon in check.

"M-My name is Caspar."

"Any particular reason why you were hunting us in Arendelle territory?" Elsa continued, scowling. "Because I know you're not from my kingdom."

Caspar looked away, ashamed. "No. I'm from Weselton."

"I thought so. I recognized the Duke's scent all over you."

Caspar looked stunned. Then, he withered under her cold stare. "Please. I didn't want to do it!" he begged. "He told me if I didn't, my family would be - "

Elsa held up a restraining hand. "Don't." she ordered, firmly. "Just tell me what the plan was."

Jack glanced at her worriedly.

"If I do, you won't hurt me?" Caspar queried, fright in his eyes.

Elsa's coldness drained somewhat. "We'll see." she said, softly. "You tried to kill my sister, so I'm feeling conflicted about it. Now tell me why."

"W-Well..." Caspar began. He licked his lips. "They wanted to kill Anna so that way the other kingdoms could see the monster for what Queen Elsa is."

Jack's eyes lit with realization and the others in the room looked horrified.

_Elsa would have taken her revenge out on the others without a doubt, _Jack thought, _And then they'd see her as a raging monster... _

"All right. Who is 'they'?" Kristoff demanded, raising a fist.

"P-Prince Hans!"

Elsa's eyes widened and needless to say, everyone in the room was horrified by what they heard. Kristoff scowled furiously.

"What's that little worm up to?" he snapped.

"Maybe he wants revenge?" Olaf suggested.

Elsa was horrified by this. If Hans was out for revenge for what happened, then this was only the beginning. Worse things would come. Her kingdom was in danger.

She turned to Kali, shaken. "Position guards at every corner of the kingdom." she ordered. "I want those who work in the farms to be watched as well. No one outside of the kingdom is to enter without my consent."

"Yes, Your Majesty." Kali replied, bowing once before leaving.

Anna watched her sister strangely.

Elsa frowned down at Caspar. "I want him to remain in the dungeons until I can figure out what to do with him later." she added.

"I can think of a few things." Kristoff growled.

He punched his fist and Caspar flinched at the sound with a loud gulp. Elsa scowled at him and Kristoff laughed sheepishly.

"Eh, but you're the Queen..."

Elsa started to leave the room, but Anna followed. "Elsa, are you going to be okay?" she asked.

Elsa smiled at her. "I'm fine, Anna." she replied.

Anna didn't seem so sure as she watched her sister walk away.

Once Elsa was alone in her room, she couldn't stop the moan of anguish that escaped her. How could she have been so stupid? How could she have not seen this coming?

"Elsa." Jack appeared in the room.

"Jack, I can't belive this is happening!" Elsa began to pace around the room. "Hans is going to threaten my entire kingdom! I should have seen this!"

Jack placed his staff down and tried to calm her down; her eyes were glowing yellow and her feet were beginning to shift into claws. He placed his arms around her and slowly, Elsa began to calm. The yellow of her eyes disappeared and her feet resumed their human shape.

"Hey, relax." he assured her. "Everything will be okay."

Elsa looked up at him in confusion. "How can you be so sure?"

"Because I won't let anything happen to you or your kingdom." Jack promised her. "If Hans tries anything stupid, he'll have to deal with the both of us. Together. And with me bringing him an eternal winter where the sun doesn't shine."

Elsa didn't seem so certain, but Jack's crude humor made her laugh a little and lower her eyes.

When she looked back up, Jack seemed to hesitate before placing a small, fleeting kiss to her forehead. When he looked down, Elsa seemed surprised by the gesture, if not a little shy. Jack grimaced a little.

"Sorry..." he said, awkwardly.

Elsa's brow knotted and she reached up, placing a hand against his cheek. Jack couldn't help his smile. Elsa seemed curious about something and leaned forward.

The air changed a little and it made her feel warmer. Well that was certainly different.

Jack noticed that she stared at him, as if searching for something. He leaned closer, testing the waters a bit and Elsa retreated only an inch, making a very faint nervous sound. Her eyes closed halfway and he tilted his head only an infinitesimal amount, barely bringing their lips together.

When their lips finally met, Elsa could feel herself shivering, but it wasn't from the cold.

The kiss felt warm and not at all too wet like she thought it was going to be. It made her feel really...warm inside, now that she thought about it. It was rather nice.

How was she supposed to kiss him back anyway? This was her first kiss, after all. Was she supposed to move her head a little? Anna had more experience with kissing than she did. Elsa remembered her bragging about her first kiss with Kristoff for days on end after it happened.

When Jack parted, he looked at her with a small, knowing smile.

"First kiss, huh?" he asked.

Elsa flinched with embarrassment. "Am I that obvious?"

"It's okay. Everyone has their first. You should have seen my first kiss." he told her, before waving a hand in front of his face. "Bad breath."

Elsa couldn't help her giggle.

"Want to try again?"

Elsa smiled shyly and nodded. "Okay."

"Now, part your lips a little - yeah, that's good." Jack instructed, placing a thumb against her lower lip. "Tilt your head a bit. Now relax."

Elsa made an effort to relax as he kissed her again.

_Oh. _Well then.

That was much better than the last kiss. Elsa was new to it, but she found it was easy to learn. When she started to respond a little better, Jack let out a surprised gasp as they parted.

"Wow..." he said, grinning. "You're a fast learner."

Elsa smiled and kissed him again. She felt his hands around her, but lost herself in the kiss.

Jack suddenly drew back with a small wince and she pulled away, worried that she must have done something wrong. She realized then that fangs had emerged in the heat of her kiss and had pricked his lower lip.

"Oh, I'm sorry!" Elsa gasped, covering her own mouth.

Jack licked his lower lip before chuckling. "It's okay. It's not even bleeding. See?"

Elsa managed to relax a little. She really hated the idea of hurting him.

They shared a small, awkward laugh before Jack met Elsa's gaze. Their laughter died and something changed between them.

Elsa's eyes dilated somewhat and she took a deep inhale.

Jack's eyebrows went up.

Before either one of them knew it, they attacked each other with passionate kisses before falling backwards onto the floor, Elsa yelping with delight.

"Wow." Jack said, from the floor.


End file.
